Cincinnati (AFP) – Coco Gauff eased past Lucia Bronzetti on Thursday to book a Cincinnati Open quarter-final meeting with Jasmine Paolini, although the American showed signs of some minor rust after receiving a bye in the previous round. Gauff had got a free pass into the last 16 when intended opponent Dayana Yastremska withdrew before the start with injury.
But the 21-year-old put her relative lack of time on the court behind her as she won through 6-2, 6-4 against Bronzetti to reach the last eight, despite suffering early breaks of serve in both sets. Gauff will be playing her third 1000-level quarter-final of the season after Madrid and Rome — both of which she went on to reach the final.
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She will next meet the player who downed her in the Rome final, after Paolini brushed aside two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 6-2 in the day’s second match on center court. Gauff said after defeating Bronzetti that memories of her 2023 title success at Cincinnati come to the surface whenever she is in the tournament’s showpiece arena.
“It’s super special to play on this court, I have so many memories from 2023,” she mentioned. “I played controlled but aggressive, but sometimes I was a bit passive. It’s tough because the ball really flies and she was giving me no pace. I had chances (when she lost serve) but I missed a couple of balls. I was still able to close it out.”
Italy’s Paolini needed just over 70 minutes to see off Krejcikova, with the Czech player seemingly struggling with her movement. “I think she wasn’t at 100 percent, but she’s an unbelievable player,” said the seventh seed. “She can put the ball wherever she wants every time, I don’t know how she does this. But I’m happy that I tried to stay there mentally until the last point.”
Gauff and Paolini have met four times in the past, sharing two victories apiece. However, 2023 US Open champion Gauff has the edge over Paolini on hard court. Her last victory over the Italian came at the last-eight stage on her way to victory in Cincinnati two years ago.
© 2024 AFP
