Tuesday evening, at the end of an unprecedented duel, the 20-year-old American beat the 21-year-old Chinese Qinwen Zheng, world No.7 and seeded No.7, 7-6 (7/4) and 6- 1 in the quarter-finals. The game ended after 1h49, the first set alone lasted 1h11.
Gauff will be opposed to the world No.1, the Polish Iga Swiatek who eliminated in the afternoon the American Madison Keys, 16th in the world and seeded No.18, 6-1 and 6-3 in barely 1 hour and 16 minutes.
Swiatek, 22, won the Foro Italico in 2021 and 2022. If she wins the title this year, she will become, after Serena Williams (in 2013), the second player to win the same year in Madrid and in Rome.
The Pole beat Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, world No.2, in the final to win her first title in the Spanish capital on May 5: 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7).
Swiatek leads 9-1 in his meetings against Gauff and 3-0 on clay.
The last two quarter-finals Viktoria Azarenka (WTA 24) – Danielle Collins (WTA 15) and Jelena Ostapenko (WTA 10) – Aryna Sabalenka (WTA 2) will be played on Wednesday.
2024-05-14 20:40:00
#WTA #Rome #Coco #Gauff #eliminates #Qinwen #Zheng #challenge #Iga #Swiatek #semifinals
