Gauff sets up semifinal clash with Swiatek in Dubai after beating Keys
WTA
Coco Gauff is the second semi-finalist of the 2023 Dubai Championships after a win over fellow compatriot Madison Keys.
The two Americans knew very well who awaited in the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai before they began their quarter-final match at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre.
Iga Swiatek received a walkover after Karolina Pliskova withdrew from their quarter-final meeting, so the young Pole is rested and ready for another match, having a chance to watch her next opponent play.
Gauff and Keys met twice before, with both matches played last season. In their first meeting, which was played in Adelaide, more experienced Keys succeeded, but in their second meeting, Gauff recorded a two-set win in the Flushing Meadows.
Motivated by the previous win over her compatriot and a good start to the 2023 season, Gauff had a rocket start also to the quarter-final match against Keys.
She broke her serve already in the first game and added one more break in the fifth to win the first set 6-2. Gauff didn't face a single break point in the first set, and she used both chances to break that she had.
On top of that, she hit her first serve 81% of the time and won 82% of points after hitting it. Her opponent's success of hitting the first serve inside the box was even better, as Keys hit 87% of the first serves in, but that still didn't help her to avoid being broken twice.
In the second set, Gauff got the first break again, but this time, Keys managed to respond, and she eventually got only two points away from winning the second set.
But that was on Gauff's serve, and the teenager didn't allow any drama. In the next game, she broke Keys' service game and won the match 6-2, 7-5 in an hour and 21 minutes to set up a semi-final meeting with the World No. 1, Iga Swiatek.
