In the Australian Open quarterfinals on Thursday, Coco Gauff lost to Aryna Sabalenka, dashigning her dreams of winning two straight Grand Slam titles.
CNN reports that reigning champion Sabalenka won 7-6(7-2) 6-4 at the Rod Laver Arena to earn her 13th straight victory in Melbourne Park.
Gauff, who had won her first major title in the US Open quarterfinal the year before, dominated the match in a highly contested game before bowing out at 4-4 in the second set.
Sabalenka will play in the final on Saturday against one of two players who are making their Grand Slam last four debuts: China’s Zheng Qinwen or Ukraine’s Diana Yastremska.
Prior to this match, Gauff had a perfect record of 10-0, but she suffered her first loss in 2024.
“The match was amazing,” Sabalenka said to the media. “She’s a fantastic player, and facing her is never easy.
“I think the most important thing was to remain focused regardless of the score. I simply keep battling for it and giving it my all.”
“I’m really excited to be heading into another Grand Slam final. I hope to perform a little bit better than I did previously.”
In the opening set, Sabalenka failed to secure the service game at 5-3 due to some unanticipated blunders and a double fault. Nevertheless, the Belarusian made Gauff work hard to hold her serve at 6-5 with some strong groundstrokes.
With strong forehands in the ensuing tiebreak, Sabalenka started to show signs of recovery and went on to win the first set while Gauff’s attempt at a comeback was unsuccessful.
Although there was still close play in the second set, neither player was able to take advantage of any significant breakpoints.
