TEENAGE prodigy, Coco Gauff showed that that the time off did nothing to slow her down as a future Grand Slam winner, defeating second seed Belarusian, Aryna Sabalenka in three tight sets at the Top Seed Open. The win followed on from her stunning victory over reigning Australian Open champion, Naomi Osaka back at Melbourne Park in January. The win over Sabalenka was far from easy for Gauff, who had reached the second round after a regulation 7-5 7-5 triumph over compatriot Caroline Dolehide in the opening round.

At just 16-years-old, Gauff booked a spot in the final eight with an epic 7-6 4-6 6-4 triumph over the second seed, taking two hours and 48 minutes before the American talent was able to celebrate. It was neck and neck for the most part, with Sabalenka serving for the first set in the 12th game after breaking the young American, but Gauff immediately broke back and then took out the opening set tiebreaker 7-4.

Sabalenka was able to wrestle back the second set to level the match at a set apiece 6-4, before the pair engaged in a back and forth deciding set. Neither player was looking particularly dominant on serve, as Gauff and Sabalenka both broke twice in the opening six games. The Belarusian saved a break point in the seventh game to hold, but it would be her last successful game. Gauff confidently held in the eighth game, then watched as Sabalenka unravelled with a double fault and two errors followed by a Gauff winner down the line to break, and then held serve to make her way through to the last eight.

Gauff will face Tunisian Ons Jabeur in the quarter finals after she came from behind to defeat another Belarusian in veteran, Olga Govortsova. Jabeur is one of only three seeds remaining in the tournament – alongside Serena Williams and Yulia Putintseva – in what has been a few days forget for the top 30 ranked players. Also through to the quarter finals are unseeded pair, Jennifer Brady and Marie Bouzkova – who will play each other – after Brady knocked off sixth seed Magda Linette 6-2 6-3, and Bouzkova downed Russian talent Anna Blinkova, 6-4 6-2.

The two other seeds are up first tomorrow on Centre Court with Putintseva up against another up and comer in Jil Teichmann, whilst the Williams sisters – Serena and Venus – do battle in the next match. Another all-American clash follows between Catherine Bellis and Jessica Pegula, with Canadian young gun Leylah Fernandez looking to take down Shelby Rogers in the final match of the day.