Like fish in water at home, the Americans Ben Shelton (20 years old, 47th in the ATP ranking) and Coco Gauff (19 years old, 6th in the WTA) qualified respectively this Wednesday morning and Tuesday evening for their first semi-final at the US Open. It is even the very first Grand Slam semi-final for Shelton, who defeated 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 from his compatriot Frances Tiafoe (10th), semi-finalist last year.
“That was hot, huh guys?” “, launched Shelton to the public at the end of the meeting. ” I gave everything. What a battle, what an atmosphere! “Added the youngest American to enter the last four in New York since Michael Chang, who had lost at this stage in 1992 against Stefan Edberg. At 20, he is playing his first full season on the ATP Tour: for his first trip outside the United States in January, he reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open. So he climbed one more step in New York. A march that will bring him into the world Top-20 on Monday at the end of the tournament.
Facing Shelton, a monument: Novak Djokovic, who qualified on Tuesday for his 47th Grand Slam semi-final against Taylor Fritz (6-1, 6-4, 6-4). An absolute record, which he steals from Roger Federer and which ensures him to become world number 1 again at the end of the tournament, while Carlos Alcaraz will play his quarter-final on the night of Wednesday to Thursday. This is the 13th time he has been in the last four at Flushing Meadows, only Jimmy Connors has done better (14).
Gauff dispatches Ostapenko, Swiatek’s faller
Among the ladies, the other local stage Coco Gauff (6th) left no chance to Jelena Ostapenko (21st), who was unable to build on her prestigious victory in the previous round against the defending champion. Iga Swiatek. The 26-year-old Latvian lost heavily to the young American nugget: 6-0, 6-2. “I went to bed around 5:00 in the morning and even if I slept seven or eight hours, I did not completely recover, explained the loser. Yesterday (Monday, editor’s note), I spent the day without energy. I thought I was waking up today, but I didn’t really feel better,” she commented.
Gauff was ruthless and completely stifled her opponent to reach her first semi-final at her domestic Major. “It’s great, I’m so happy… Last year I lost in the quarter-finals so this year I wanted to do better. But the road is not over! “warned the 19-year-old American. “It’s by far my shortest match of the tournament,” she said, explaining that she would see with her coach if she was going to rest or do a training session during the day. Especially since she is also qualified for the quarter-finals of the doubles tournament with her compatriot Jessica Pegula.
Finalist in 2022 at Roland-Garros, she will try to climb for the second time in her career in the final of a Major, after having reached that of Roland-Garros in 2022. To do this, she will have to beat the Czech Karolina Mouchova on Thursday (10th ) who dominated the Romanian Sorana Cirstea (30th) 6-0, 6-3.
