How Coco Gauff Can Beat Jelena Ostapenko within the U.S. Open Quarterfinals

Coco Gauff, a 19-year-old American who has had an impressive summer time, will tackle Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia within the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open on Tuesday.

The two have performed twice earlier than, with Ostapenko profitable their most up-to-date encounter, on the Australian Open in January. Ostapenko beat Gauff in straight units in a fourth-round match. But of their first assembly, in 2019, Gauff defeated Ostapenko in three units within the closing of the Linz Open in Austria.

Gauff, who’s seeded sixth, has the benefit of taking part in in her house nation’s Grand Slam match and the added confidence from profitable the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., and the Western & Southern Open in Ohio prior to now month. But Ostapenko, seeded twentieth, can be on a tear: She eradicated Iga Swiatek, the defending champion and world No. 1, on Sunday evening.

Here’s what to know in regards to the match.

How did they get right here?

Gauff defeated Laura Siegemund, a difficult participant from Germany, within the first spherical. Siegemund hit slices and drop pictures, catching Gauff on her again foot, and received the primary set. But Gauff received the match in three units after taking part in extra aggressively.

Gauff additionally defeated Mirra Andreeva, a 16-year-old from Russia; Elise Mertens of Belgium; and Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who just lately returned to skilled tennis after retiring in 2020.

Ostapenko notably defeated Swiatek, who will lose her No. 1 rating on the finish of the Open, in a fourth-round match. Ostapenko is likely one of the few gamers who’ve crushed Swiatek persistently. Her win on Sunday was the fourth in a row towards her.

On her technique to the quarterfinals, Ostapenko additionally defeated Jasmine Paolini of Italy, Elina Avanesyan of Russia and Bernarda Pera, who was born in Croatia however represents the United States. Each of these matches went three units.

Beware of Ostapenko’s aggression.

Ostapenko’s aggressive recreation is constructed on taking part in quick and with quite a lot of energy. She credited that taking part in fashion for her capacity to persistently defeat Swiatek, who appreciates having extra time to arrange her factors.

Sometimes that aggressive recreation works towards her, and he or she racks up unforced errors. She had 20 unforced errors within the match towards Swiatek. Gauff acknowledges that. On Sunday, she referred to as Ostapenko a “striker,” however “hot or cold, to be honest.”

For Ostapenko’s half, she’s making an attempt to be extra selective of when she goes for her pictures.

Keep an eye fixed on Gauff’s internet recreation.

Gauff, who is likely one of the quickest gamers on the tour, isn’t any stranger to highly effective pictures, being able to trace down balls and to hit them again with the identical energy, or extra. Gauff responds nicely to highly effective pictures from the baseline, ready till she has a gap to hurry the web and put away factors with overheads, swing volleys and volleys.

Gauff serves with precision, at instances making it tough for her opponents to place their rackets on the ball to return it nicely, as spectators noticed in Gauff’s fourth-round match towards Wozniacki.

But it’s well-known that Gauff’s forehand has been her weaker shot, and whereas she has been working onerous to enhance it along with her new coach, Brad Gilbert, if an opponent can drive errors on that wing, it could possibly make a win for Gauff that rather more tough.

Gauff has been right here earlier than.

This is Gauff’s second time within the quarterfinals on the U.S. Open. She additionally made them final yr, when she was defeated in straight units by Caroline Garcia of France.

While that is additionally the second time Ostapenko has been within the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, she made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open this yr and has made deeper runs in different Grand Slam tournaments. She was a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2018 and received the 2017 French Open.

There is pleasure for the American women and men proper now, and the group shall be in Gauff’s nook. At least one American man will make it to the semifinals this yr as a result of Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton are taking part in one another in one of many quarterfinals. Taylor Fritz, who’s taking part in Novak Djokovic, might make it two.

“It’s nice to just see the competitiveness between the countrymen and us all doing well,” Gauff mentioned in an interview on Sunday. “It’s just really exciting tennis for America. I hope that fans are excited.”

Sorana Cirstea or Karolina Muchova await.

The winner of the match will play Thirtieth-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania or Tenth-seeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, who’re additionally taking part in on Tuesday.