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Yet to drop a set so far at the 2022 US Open, Coco Gauff has reached the quarterfinals in New York for the first time in her career. On Sunday, she beat Zhang Shuai of China 7-5, 7-5 in one hour and 56 minutes in the fourth round at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was only the second meeting between the two players on the tour, with Gauff now leading the head-to-head 2-0. In their first encounter, the 18-year-old American downed the 36th-ranked player in straight sets at the Miami Open earlier in March.
Gauff fought hard on Sunday as she found herself trailing in both sets, but managed to break back on both occasions to eventually close out the match. She hit five aces and 33 winners, compared to Shuai's two aces and 26 winners. Gauff broke her opponent five times and saved six break points.
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After winning an important point during the final game of the match, the youngster looked over at her player's box and expressed herself with a finger-wagging gesture, reminding people of former basketball star Dikembe Mutombo. She used another signal that viewers thought was a throat-slash, but which was in fact a move by the City Girls duo of JT and Yung Miami, saying 'period'.
Tennis fans were divided over the gestures. While some wanted the American to continue with her aggression, others were not impressed.
"Good thing Coco Gauff cannot be criticized because she gave a throat slash at triple break point that would have gotten a lot of people on the cancel list...with that said, she just broke to serve it out in 2, really high level stuff on both sides of net," a fan tweeted.
"I didn’t mind the finger wag but the throat slash gesture doesn’t belong in tennis or any sport for that matter. Regardless, great win Coco! Good luck in the next round vs. Caroline Garcia," a user posted.
"Was extremely disappointed to see that, and also about the commentators. It reminds me of Mary Carillo in ‘18 saying Serena would never cheat when the camera showed her staring right at her coach as he signaled. Don’t be cheerleaders," another tweet read.
Here are some more reactions:
Coco Gauff to face Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals
Coco Gauff is set to take on Caroline Garcia of France in the 2022 US Open quarterfinals. Just like Gauff, 17th-ranked Garcia hasn't lost a single set in her four matches so far. The American realizes the challenge that awaits her. In a press conference after the match, she stated that Garcia was playing probably the best tennis of her career.
"She's obviously a great player, even though she's had ups and downs," Coco Gauff said. "I think right now she's playing probably the best tennis. I think she's playing the best tennis she's played in a long time. It's going to be a challenge. When you play these players that are hot, I think it's more of a mental challenge. You just got to accept she's going to hit some great shots, because I know she will."
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results
