US Open | Coco Gauff and Paula Badosa advance to the last 16

(New York) Tense than she had let on, defending champion Coco Gauff was dominated for a set and a half on Friday before turning the match around against Elina Svitolina and qualifying for the round of 16 at the US Open.

The defending champion in the men’s race, Novak Djokovic (2^e world), continues his quest for the absolute record of 25 Grand Slam titles by facing on Friday at the start of the night session (not before 7 p.m. local time) the Australian Alexei Popyrin (28^e) whom he has beaten three times, including twice this year at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Gauff (3^e) lost the first set before beating the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (28)^e) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

“I knew it would be tough. Every time I play against Elina, I’m up against a real fighter. I had to play my best tennis and improve my serve compared to the previous match. I actually served better, except for the last game and thank you (to the crowd) for giving me all that energy,” commented the 20-year-old American.

She appeared tense in the first set, but did not crack in the second where Svitolina missed a few opportunities, gradually letting Gauff relax, regain confidence, wake up the crowd and take the lead.

Explode

“I felt like my team was on the edge of their seats and I knew I had to explode to make them explode, and so did the crowd. That’s what happened when I broke in the second set. Thanks to the crowd, you jumped in when you needed to, you gave me what I needed, it worked and I was able to get back in the match,” Gauff said.

More and more solid, the American then more clearly dominated the third round.

She wasted her first two match points with two double faults and Svitolina saved the third with a backhand long down the line winner. Then the Ukrainian managed to regain one of her two breaks.

But Svitolina completely missed her next service game, giving the white to Gauff who was then able to scream her joy at qualifying for the last 8.^{it is} final.

Gauff, who won her first – and to date only – Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows last year, will face her compatriot Emma Navarro (12) on Sunday.^e).

In the women’s table, the Spanish Paula Badosa (29^e) eliminated the Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse (122)^e) 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10/8), and the Chinese Zheng Qinwen (7^e) swept aside Germany’s Jule Niemeier (101)^e) 6-2, 6-1.

Badosa, a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros in 2021, but who had never before made it past the second round at Flushing Meadows, will face China’s Wang Yafan (80^e).

Zheng, a finalist at this year’s Australian Open, a quarter-finalist at Flushing Meadows last year and a gold medalist at this summer’s Paris Olympics, will play Croatian Donna Vekic (24)^e), which she beat in the Olympic final.