Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
Screen time helps Coco Gauff decompress from Top 10 stress—she watches superhero movies to take her mind off tennis.
Today, an inspired Gauff flew past nemesis Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2 to stick a Madrid milestone landing.
The 21-year-old Gauff landed her maiden Madrid quarterfinal and made history as the youngest woman to reach quarterfinals at three WTA !000 clay-court events since the format’s 2009 inception.
Moments after Gauff’s win, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva swept qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4 charging into her second straight Madrid quarterfinal.
Indian Wells and Dubai champion Andreeva, who celebrates her 18th birthday tomorrow, pumped up the party in the Magic Box setting up a potential electrifying quarterfinal with Gauff in what will be the youngest Mutua Madrid Open women’s quarterfinal.
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In their lone prior clay-court meeting, Gauff rallied past Andreeva 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1 at the 2023 Roland Garros. Since then, Andreeva has emerged as one of the sport’s most exciting young stars reaching the 2024 Roland Garros semifinals and defeating Elina Svitolina, Elena Rybakina, No. 2 Iga Swiatek and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to capture Indian Wells in a stunning performance.
Former French Open finalist Gauff has now reached quarterfinals or better at all current WTA 1000 tournaments except for her home event, the Miami Open.
This third meeting of the year between Olympic gold-medal champion Bencic and Gauff saw the fourth seed play rallies off the front foot thanks to superb serving.
Gauff served 56 percent and won 22 of 26 first-serve points.
The WTA Finals champion dropped serve only once—that came after Gauff built a 4-2 first-set lead. The American stamped love holds in her first and last service games of the set and broke Bencic to convert her third set point and snatch a one-set lead.
Driving the ball deep and pushing the Swiss into obscure areas of the court, Gauff broke for a 3-1 third-set lead and never looked back.
Tormenting Bencic’s slice second serve, Gauff won 11 of 15 points played on the Swiss’ second serve and converted four of 15 break-point chances.