On Friday, Coco Gauff advanced to the semi-finals of the Auckland Tennis Classic by defeating Varvara Gracheva of France 6-1, 6-1 on a rain-filled day for the quarter-finals.
The number one player and current title holder easily won the first set in just 24 minutes and ultimately clinched the match in less than an hour. Gauff has yet to lose a set during this tournament, just like she did when she won last year. The match was delayed due to rain and the weather remained ominous until the very end. However, Gauff managed to secure her victory with the looming dark clouds overhead, serving five aces.
“I believe I performed exceptionally well, possibly the best so far in this tournament, which was a goal I had been focusing on during the off-season,” Gauff stated. “Last year, there was a significant amount of rain, so I am pleased that I was able to complete my match.”
In the semi-finals, Gauff will face her fellow American Emma Navarro. Navarro, who is the fourth seed, defeated Petra Martic of France 6-4, 6-3. In their previous encounter in Cincinnati in August, Navarro lost to Martic 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. However, in this match, Navarro dominated with a strong performance, successfully landing 80% of her first serves and aggressively attacking Martic’s second serve. In another quarter-final match that lasted three hours and eight minutes on court, China’s Wang Xiyu beat Diane Parry of France 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4. The match was even longer due to a rain delay.
The second-seeded Elena Rybakina only needed to play seven games in her quarter-final Friday to reach the final four at the Brisbane International but the two-time champion Victoria Azarenka had a tougher run. She needed three sets, lasting about two and a half hours, and joked about the prospect of having to wear protective headwear to advance 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 at the expense of the 2017 French Open winner, Jelena Ostapenko, the No 3 seed.
In the match between Rybakina and Potapova, Rybakina, who is the reigning champion of Wimbledon in 2022, won the first set with a score of 6-1. However, Potapova, seeded 11th, had to retire due to an abdominal injury. Rybakina’s next opponent will be either Noskova or Andreeva.
Azarenka, who secured consecutive Australian Open championships in 2012 and 2013, sealed her win in a tense game three after Ostapenko’s emotional outburst towards chair umpire Julie Kjendlie. “With Jelena, you just have to brace yourself and try to stay focused,” the Belarusian stated. “She’s an amazing player and a grand slam winner, and she has shown she can defeat anyone on any given day. The level of tennis was exceptional, so I am extremely proud to have come out on top.”
Azarenka is set to compete against either her fellow Belarusian and top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who is the reigning Australian Open champion, or the fifth seed Daria Kasatkina.
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Holger Rune, the first-ranked male player, defeated James Duckworth with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (6) to advance to the semi-finals. He will face Roman Safiullin, who also won his match against Matteo Arnaldi with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Grigor Dimitrov achieved a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Rinky Hijikata, advancing to the semi-finals. The second-seeded player may potentially face Rafael Nadal next, as Nadal continues his comeback tournament after being sidelined for a year due to injury. Nadal will be facing Australian player Jordan Thompson in the quarter-finals at Pat Rafter Arena. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has won both of his previous matches in straight sets, marking his first competitive play since the 2023 Australian Open.
