{"id":97657,"date":"2023-09-06T11:23:18","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T11:23:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/09\/06\/coco-gauff-beats-jelena-ostapenko\/"},"modified":"2023-09-06T11:23:18","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T11:23:18","slug":"coco-gauff-beats-jelena-ostapenko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/09\/06\/coco-gauff-beats-jelena-ostapenko\/","title":{"rendered":"Coco Gauff beats Jelena Ostapenko"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Coco Gauff’s best Grand Slam singles performance came at the 2022 French Open, when she lost in the final
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American teenager, Coco Gauff says she is feeling \u201cemotionally fresh\u201d as she reached the US Open semi-finals for the first time by beating Jelena Ostapenko.<\/p>\n

Gauff won 6-0 6-2 in 67 minutes against Latvian 20th seed Ostapenko to record her best run at the tournament.<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old will now face French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova for a place in the final.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think the problem in the past in Grand Slams is that I would emotionally be drained,\u201d sixth seed Gauff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I\u2019m physically fresh and emotionally fresh, and I think that just came from experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another victory would put Gauff into the second major singles final of her career, matching her run at the 2022 French Open when she was beaten by Poland\u2019s Iga Swiatek.<\/p>\n

There has been a different aura about Gauff following a successful North American hard-court swing where she won two of the WTA Tour\u2019s biggest titles in Washington and Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

Since a chastening first-round exit at Wimbledon, Gauff has turned her form around with the help of new coach Pere Riba and consultant Brad Gilbert.<\/p>\n

The teenager has won 16 of her 17 matches since losing at the All England Club in early July.<\/p>\n

Gilbert, who has coached Andy Murray and Andre Agassi among others in a successful career, has been the focus of a lot of the attention and Gauff credited him for helping her enjoy her tennis more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I embraced the fun parts a little bit sooner,\u201d said Gauff, who was left in tears when Ostapenko beat her in the Australian Open fourth round earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought to play and win you have to be ultra serious and ultra focused, which that is true, but also you still have to enjoy it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s what\u2019s been the change is that I\u2019m having more fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the first things Brad said is \u2018you need to smile more\u2019, it wasn\u2019t really anything with my game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something I\u2019m trying to work on and continuing to do, and obviously I think it\u2019s helping my results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ostapenko criticises \u2018crazy\u2019 scheduling<\/h3>\n

Gauff had seen three of her first four matches at this year\u2019s US Open go to a deciding set, including her comeback wins against Germany\u2019s Laura Siegemund in the first round and Belgium\u2019s Elise Mertens in the third round.<\/p>\n

Following a much quicker win over Ostapenko, Gauff she was \u201cproud\u201d of coming through what she described as \u201cone of the harder runs\u201d she has faced at Flushing Meadows.<\/p>\n

After only nine minutes of action in Tuesday\u2019s opening match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff had raced into a 3-0 lead with a double break of serve.<\/p>\n

Ostapenko, who knocked out world number one Swiatek in the last 16, made 10 unforced errors as her boom or bust approach malfunctioned.<\/p>\n

After dropping only seven points in a 20-minute first-set demolition, Gauff broke Ostapenko\u2019s serve in the first game of the second set.<\/p>\n

Ostapenko did immediately break back for her first game of the match, only for Gauff to regain control a few minutes later and quickly turn a 2-1 lead into victory.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, 26-year-old Ostapenko complained about the scheduling of the match, which started at 12:00 local time on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Her victory over Swiatek was completed just before midnight on Sunday and the Latvian said she had been told to expect a late start against Gauff.<\/p>\n

US Open organisers denied that had been the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the schedule came out, I saw I\u2019m playing first match and was like \u2018wow, that\u2019s a little bit strange scheduling\u2019,\u201d said Ostapenko.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s really hard to recover from those night matches, because after beating the world number one I went to sleep at 5am.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got back to the hotel around 2am and even [though] I tried to go to sleep at 3am, I had all this adrenaline and it was impossible to fall asleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen when you go to sleep at 5am or 6am, you need a few days just to recover. I think it\u2019s a little bit crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Muchova\u2019s fine run continues<\/h3>\n
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Karolina Muchova lost to Iga Swiatek in the French Open final earlier this year<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Czech 10th seed Muchova continued her fine run at the US Open as she beat Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-0 6-3 to reach the semi-finals for the first time.<\/p>\n

Muchova was ranked 235th in the world when she played at Flushing Meadows last year as she made her way back from an injury lay off.<\/p>\n

But she arrived at this year\u2019s event inside the top 10 and progressed to the last four with impressive ease, beating an opponent who had knocked out Elena Rybakina and Belinda Bencic on her way to the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n

Muchova dominated the first set, saving all nine break points that she saved, before coming back from a break down in the second to see off Cirstea.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnbelievable. This is a really sweet victory. Incredible,\u201d Muchova said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to enjoy this win and then I will try to put up a battle against Coco.\u201d<\/p>\n

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