Cori Gauff in a match that brought together two outstanding US tennis players, frustrated Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the ASB Classic, Auckland in the 2023 season.
After a lengthy rain delay that forced all matches to be played indoors, the world number 7 claimed victory after 1 hour and 23 minutes to reach the quarter-finals of the ASB Classic for the first time in her second visit to the tournament.
The former world number 4 defeated Gauff in their only previous meeting, namely on their way to winning the 2020 Australian Open title, in the fourth round to be precise.
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However, the number one seed was able to avenge the loss, including firing nine aces and saving six of the seven break point opportunities she faced.
Cori Gauff started the first set 4-1 up, but she failed to close the set at 5-3, giving Kenin little room to catch up. But this did not last long after in the next game he was able to create a set point opportunity which was successfully converted after the 2020 Australian Open season champion’s forehand return went too wide.
In the second set, there was no chance of a break until it was 5-4. In that game, Kenin failed to convert three game point opportunities, a situation the runner up of the 2022 French Open took advantage of to create a match point opportunity by forcing her compatriot to make a mistake. The first seed converted a match point opportunity after his compatriot’s forehand return went wide once again.
Gauff’s opponent in the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic was nationality Zhu Lin, who successfully defeated US veteran Venus Williams 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
World number 84 Zhu saved a first-half match point against Madison Brengle and she demonstrated a similar battle when she trailed 3-5 in the third set against 2015 ASB Classic champion Williams.
Zhu’s hard work paid off by leveling the score at 5-5. He then saved four break point opportunities to maintain a 6-5 position. The move proved to be the decider as he broke Williams for the eighth time to claim victory.
In other action, tennis player from Slovakia, Viktoria Kuzmova, qualified for the quarter-finals after her opponent, Emma Raducanu withdrew due to injury in the third set. The final standing of the match was 0-6, 7-5.
Raducanu finished the first set unanimously in my 22 minutes but the second set was much more competitive from the start as Kuzmova held off the challenge in their first meeting.
Kuzmova will face seventh seed Danka Kovinic for a place in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Leylah Annie Fernandez only needed 45 minutes to silence Julia Grabher with a landslide 6-0, 6-1 and posted a quarterfinal against Ysaline Bonaventure who beat Rebecca Marino 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
