Coco Gauff is ready for her first Australian Open semi-final against Aryna Sabalenka. Both players won their first major in 2023, with the Belarusian’s victory coming at Melbourne Park after defeating Elena Rybakina in the final.
Sabalenka lost to Gauff in September’s US Open final in September and is now seeking revenge. “I love it. I love it. After US Open, I really wanted that revenge, and, I mean, that’s a great match,” she warned. “It’s always great battles against Coco, with really great fights. I’m happy to play her, and I’m super excited to play that semifinal match.”
The other half of the draw includes first-time Grand Slam semi-finalists Qinwen Zheng and qualifier Dayana Yastremska. The winner of Gauff vs Sabalaenka will be the clear favourite in the final. For their semi-final, however, Sabalenka enters her seventh match against Gauff as arguably the slight favourite.
She has won 12 straight matches at the Australian Open since her title run last year and has dominated her opponents in her 2024 campaign without losing a set. In the quarterfinals, Sabalenka beat ninth seed and 2021 French Open champ Barbora Krejcikova, losing only five games.
She’s been serving well in 2024, which has been a weak point for her at times. This season, Sabalenka has held her serve 87.5% of the time, helping her perform well in Melbourne. Her strong play from the baseline has left her rivals reeling, but Gauff has the ability to disrupt her rhythm.
The young star has won four out of their six matches. Her great movement and defensive skills have caused Sabaklena to make mistakes, as has Gauff’s excellent backhand. After training with Andy Roddick, her serve is also getting better. Like Sabalenka, the fourth seed has also been performing well.
She has won 34 of her last 38 matches and is on a 12-match winning streak at Grand Slams. She hopes to be the first woman since Naomi Osaka to win two majors in a row after she won the 2020 US Open and 2021 Australian Open titles.
After a challenging match against Kostyuk, Gauff is prepared to face the World No. 2. “Aryna, it’s always a tough match with her,” she said. “I think she’s playing well this tournament. That U.S. Open final was tough. I think it’s going to be a tough match. I think these are the later stages of a Grand Slam, (she’s) in good form.”
Gauff was the first American teenager to win at Flushing Meadows since Williams triumphed in 1999 when she was just 17. She will become the first American since Serena in 2017 to win the Australian Open should she go on to claim glory on Saturday.