American tennis player Coco Gauff exited the Australian Open after a quick loss to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals. The third-seeded Gauff struggled from the start and could not recover, dropping the match 6-1, 6-2 in under an hour on Rod Laver Arena.
Gauff, ranked third in the world, committed 28 unforced errors and served five double faults, which hurt her chances against a focused Svitolina. The Ukrainian broke Gauff’s serve five times and held her own service games without facing a single break point. Svitolina, the 12th seed, played steady tennis, hitting 16 winners while keeping errors low at 11.
After the match, Gauff expressed frustration but looked ahead. She smashed her racket in a hallway on her way to the locker room, an action caught on camera that drew attention from fans and media. Gauff later explained it as a way to release emotions, saying it helped her avoid carrying negativity into interviews. This defeat ends Gauff’s run in Melbourne, where she aimed for her second Grand Slam title after winning the US Open in 2023.
Svitolina advances to her first Australian Open semifinal, where she will face top seed Aryna Sabalenka. The 31-year-old Ukrainian, who returned to the tour after giving birth in 2022, now holds a 10-0 record for the season and seeks her first Grand Slam final.
The day’s play at Melbourne Park wrapped up the first set of quarterfinals, with high temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius prompting officials to close roofs on main courts for player safety.
In other women’s action, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka dominated American teenager Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0 in 55 minutes. The world number one from Belarus broke Jovic five times and won the last nine games in a row, extending her winning streak at the tournament to 17 matches. Jovic, an 18-year-old making her Grand Slam quarterfinal debut, held her own early but faded against Sabalenka’s power.
On the men’s side, top seed Carlos Alcaraz reached his first Australian Open semifinal by defeating local favorite Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-2, 6-1. The Spaniard broke de Minaur early in each set and hit 32 winners, overpowering the sixth-seeded Australian in front of a supportive crowd. De Minaur, ranked sixth in the world, admitted feeling pressure from home expectations but praised Alcaraz’s level.
Third seed Alexander Zverev outlasted American Learner Tien 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2 to secure his spot in the semifinals. Zverev served 18 aces and broke Tien four times after dropping the second set in a tiebreaker. Tien, the 25th seed, showed fight but could not match Zverev’s experience in the later sets.
The semifinals begin with Alcaraz facing Zverev in the men’s draw and Sabalenka meeting Svitolina in the women’s. The tournament continues to draw large crowds, with over 700,000 fans attending so far.
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