The US Open’s round of 16 continues with a day of blockbuster matches on Monday as former champion Coco Gauff takes on fellow American Iva Jovic, while a resurgent Naomi Osaka faces a trial by fire against second seed Elena Rybakina.
Iga Swiatek braces for a clash with China’s Zheng Qinwen, who beat the Polish six-time Grand Slam winner in the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics, while French Open champion Alexander Zverev will also be in action.
Gauff’s attempts to win a second US Open title have ended in the fourth round in each of the last two years. This time, however, the 22-year-old is riding high on an improved serve and has gone through her first three matches without dropping a set.
“I hit flow state,” Gauff said about her third-round win over Cristina Bucsa, in which the two-time Grand Slam winner fought back from a break down to win the second set.
She had pulled off a similar comeback against Jovic in May, when Gauff lost the first set but managed to edge the second before dominating the third. Gauff said challenging matches and the possibility of defeat kept her on her toes.
“At the end of the day, anybody can lose… it makes me have my guard up all the time, which makes me play better,” she said.
—Reuters—
