Coco Gauff Advances to Washington Semifinals

Coco Gauff secured her spot in the semifinals for the fourth time in 2023 by defeating Belinda Bencic with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win at the Citi Open.

The third-seeded American clinched victory in just one hour and 28 minutes against the No.6 seed, setting up a semifinal clash against defending champion Liudmila Samsonova. Samsonova is seeking her second final appearance of the season, aiming to replicate her win at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand during the first week of the season.

Despite the seemingly comfortable scoreline, Gauff acknowledged room for improvement and higher standards for herself. She noted that the match’s intensity wasn’t fully reflected in the score, emphasizing her pursuit of peak performance.

Gauff’s performance included 17 winners and 16 unforced errors, while Bencic managed 14 winners but was hindered by 26 unforced errors.

In the upcoming semifinals, Coco Gauff is set to meet Samsonova for the third time overall and the first since 2021. Their previous encounters have seen Gauff rally from a set down to secure victory.

Elsewhere in the tournament, top-seeded Jessica Pegula orchestrated a remarkable comeback against wild card Elina Svitolina, prevailing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 8 minutes to secure her fifth semifinal berth of 2023. Pegula praised Svitolina’s competitiveness and resilience on court, recalling the significance of her victory against Svitolina in her earlier years. Pegula is now geared to face No.4 seed Maria Sakkari in the next round.
Re-reported from the article originally published in ANI