by Coco Gauff stepped onto Rod Laver Arena for her first quarter-final match for Australia and was struggling to find her game. As nerves and tension dominated her side of the court, unforced errors were in every aspect of her play. Not only did Gauff quickly fall behind 1-5 in the first set against a tenacious Marta Kostyuk, but even when she got going and established a lead, she didn’t quite settle.
It’s a testament to Gauff’s strength of mind and how victorious she is now that, despite her struggles in some way, she found a way through. After more than three hours in the final in Melbourne, Gauff emerged from a chaotic and messy but highly entertaining psychodrama to reach the semi-finals with a 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3) victory , 6-2 on Kostyuk.
“Proud of the fight I showed today,” Gauff said. “Marta is a tough opponent – every time we play, it’s a tough game. I really fought and left it all on the court today.”
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Through his first four rounds at the Australian Open, Gauff didn’t face even a hint of a test. Although the seeds in the top half crumbled, the fourth seed had marched through the draw to reach the quarter-finals without dropping a set.
But it’s unusual in tennis that everything flows all the time. Even among the best, winning consistently is about managing the moments when their shots aren’t shooting and finding resolution through their struggles.
Time and time again, Gauff has shown her ability to win regardless of her form on the day. She is now 34-4 (89.4%) since the North American hard court fringe started last year at the end of July, and the 19-year-old has won her first 10 games of the season. With 49 wins at grand slam tournaments, Gauff also tied Serena Williams for second most by an American teenager in the Open Era. Only Jennifer Capriati (50) has won more.
Gauff is now waiting for Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed and defending champion, or Barbora Krejcikova, the ninth seed, to secure a place in the final.
Early on, however, it was Kostyuk who got the better of her, showing off her versatile skills with her superb athleticism, right hand and ability to move forward to the net. The 21-year-old started the match determined to cut herself inside the baseline and load as many balls as possible onto Gauff’s weaker forehand. Quickly settling in, Gauff sprayed errors from every part of her game, even her trusty backhand. By the time Kostyuk led 5-1, Gauff had hit just one winner to 18 unforced errors.
Gradually, Gauff began to find her feet, found her range on her back and became more solid in the decisive moments. As the level of the American rose, Kostyuk began to freeze. During the final, neither player could escape their nerves. Battles raged in their heads and on the court, with Gauff eventually winning.
Although both players continued to struggle early in the second set, Gauff seemed to have her game steady in the decisive moments. She went 5-3 in the second set and stood two points away from victory, but Kostyuk fought hard. During that match, the Ukrainian produced one of the best defensive efforts of the tournament, flying from side to side, chasing a driving volley with vicious hands before drawing a forehand error from Gauff. This time, with the momentum shifting in her favor again, the Ukrainian cruised through the tie and pressed for a final set.
Losing the second set could have been fatal, but instead Gauff immediately shook off his frustration. She started the last season refreshed and played much closer to the standards she has set for the past six months. She found more precision on her serve and the confidence to take the ball forward, rolling through to reach the semi-final.
No one could be happier than her coach, Brad Gilbert, who wrote the book Winning Ugly and sat before the court on Tuesday with a smile on his face and accused of saving one of her ugly victories for one of the biggest games of her young career. .
Despite the defeat, Kostyuk left the biggest match of her career satisfied with her performance and fight, and excited for the year ahead. Earlier in the tournament, Kostyuk said she believes she and her fellow Ukrainian players have succeeded in drawing attention to the war in Ukraine. Her compatriot Dayana Yastremska will face Linda Noskova for a place in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
“I think [the] the girls did really well,” she said. “I hope we will be successful in most competitions, especially the big ones where there is a lot of media. I think people should be reminded.”
She continued: “But yes, I was texting with some people from Kyiv [before the match]. I said, ‘How is it? How are you?’ They said, ‘Well, we were looking between your score and where the missiles are flying.’ So it’s still there. It’s still there.”
