FRENCH 17th seed Caroline Garcia will contest her first Grand Slam semi-final after defeating local hope Coco Gauff in straight sets to make the final four of the US Open overnight. In a remarkable run streak that followed on from a title in Cincinnati, Garcia will now face off against Tunisian fifth seed Ons Jabeur for a spot in the 2022 US Open women’s singles final.
Garcia won 78 and 44 per cent of her first and second serve points respectively, compared to Gauff’s 64 and 27 per cent, as the Frenchwoman hit six more winners (24-18) and two less unforced errors (22-24). Breaking three times to one, Garcia was able to control the match off her serve, then break when required to get the upperhand and ensure she closed out the match in 97 minutes.
“It was a very intense match,” Garcia said post-match. “Every point, every game was really tough. The atmosphere was really American with a lot of energy out there. “I’m just very happy with the performance today, to manage the emotion in my game.”
Gauff was impressed by Garcia’s hitting ability, with the American teenager providing plenty of power herself, with five aces, but six double faults and falling short of reaching the last four.
“You’re playing someone off the bat, they’re standing on top of the baseline and ripping balls, it’s not easy,” Gauff said. “She has the type of game that you kind of have to adjust to because I feel like it’s not hit-or-miss because she definitely makes more, but you’re hitting a good serve, and sometimes you’re not expecting the ball to come back as fast and as deep as she was hitting it.”
In the other match, Jabeur also made history by becoming the first African woman to reach the semi-finals at the US Open. The Tunisian fifth seed rolled a brave Ajla Tomljanovic in straight sets, fighting past the Australian, 6-4 7-6 in an hour and 41 minutes. Jabeur hit four aces and 29 winners, breaking five times to Tomljanovic’s four and closing out the second set tiebreaker 7-4 to ensure she reached the semis of Flushing Meadows.
“I believe in myself after Wimbledon,” Jabeur said post-match. “I know that I have it in me to win a [major] final. And here I am in the semi-finals. “I’m just trying to do my job here, hopefully I inspire more and more generations from Africa. “It really means a lot to me.”
US OPEN WOMEN’S SINGLES RESULTS: QUARTER FINALS
[5] Ons Jabeur (TUN) defeated Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) 6-4 7-6
[17] Caroline Garcia (FRA) defeated [12] Coco Gauff (USA) 6-3 6-4
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