Coco Gauff is eyeing a US Open semi-final, but she'll need to avoid the face of Iga Swiatek, who was beaten by Jelena Ostapenko.
Yes, Swiatek is out of the event after getting beaten by Jelena Ostapenko, and it was a pretty big deal. Not many expected it to go that way, but the Latvian improved to 4-0 on the WTA Tour against Swiatek, which is quite a score considering how strong the Polish player is.
This one will be challenging for Gauff because she won't face too many players that will put more pressure on her than Ostapenko. It's both a blessing and a curse because if she can force Ostapenko to hit one more shot, she'll get plenty of free points, though, at times, the Latvian will be almost unbeatable from the baseline. It's going to be an interesting match either way.
Head-to-head:
We've seen this matchup two times so far, with each player winning one match. In 2019, Gauff beat Ostapekno in Linz 6-3 1-6 6-2 to win her maiden trophy.
The second one actually happened earlier this year at the Australian Open and Ostapenko won that match 7-5 6-3. That's the danger for Gauff because if she catches Ostapenko on her day she will struggle to win, the same way that the current world no. 1 did when she lost in three sets.
Prediction:
One thing she could do is apply heavy pressure on the Latvian with her own newfound aggression. She didn't stop playing that way against Wozniacki even when she was suggested to extend rallies, and it worked out in her favour.
Putting pressure on Ostpaenko could be a good idea but she'll need to be precise with her execution otherwise it won't matter because Ostapenko will beat her.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.
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