Australian Open: American Taylor Fritz is eliminated, but Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic advance to the quarterfinals

The 2024 Australian Open continues its progress towards the conclusion this week, and we now have information about half of the players advancing to the semifinals.

Coco Gauff from the United States and Novak Djokovic of Serbia have both secured spots in the penultimate matches of the first major tournament of the 2024 season. They are set to compete later this week for a chance to reach the final.

Gauff fights her way into her first semifinal

After an impressive 2023, Gauff is making a significant impact at the start of 2024. She emerged victorious in a challenging match against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, showcasing her resilience, determination, and innate talent. Gauff secured the win with a score of 7-6(6), 6(3)-7, 6-2 in a three-hour and eight-minute battle.

This contest stretched out in various aspects, proving to be both lengthy and requiring tiebreaks in the initial two sets. Gauff and Kostyuk engaged in an intense battle, evenly splitting the first two sets. However, it was the third set that distinguishes Coco from many other tennis players in her age group (she’s 19, while Kostyuk is 21). Gauff demonstrated the physical and mental stamina needed to deliver a fully committed performance in the third set, even after exerting substantial energy in the preceding two sets. Ultimately, it was Gauff’s endurance that allowed her to overcome Kostyuk, who ran out of energy.

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Gauff is set to face Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, seeking revenge after losing to Sabalenka in the US Open final last September. Although Gauff holds a 4-2 record in their past meetings, the upcoming match carries added significance.

In a development that comes as no surprise, Djokovic secured his spot in the semifinals, marking his 11th appearance in this stage at the Australian Open. He secured a victory over the 12th-seeded Taylor Fritz with a scoreline of 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The match commenced with Fritz, the top-ranked American, making a strong start against Djokovic. Despite Djokovic winning the first set in a tiebreak, Fritz displayed resilience and claimed the second set outright without the need for a tiebreak. However, Djokovic, known for thriving under pressure, seized control in the third set and continued his dominance, delivering a series of shots that Fritz couldn’t return, ultimately securing the win as Fritz ran out of energy.

Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, has a perfect record of reaching the semifinals and then going on to win the title every time. In the upcoming round, he will face off against the fourth-seeded Jannik Sinner.