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The American appeared in big trouble at the
outset of the match as the Belgian smartly changed up the pace
of her shots to frustrate the teenager, who was broken for a
second time when her forehand went long on set point.
Mertens relished her opportunity to play the spoiler in front of
a sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd firmly in Gauff's corner,
quieting the increasingly tense fans with a shush finger after
smacking winners.
After some exchanges of breaks early in the second set Gauff
seized the momentum for good when she broke for a 4-3 lead,
pumping her arms and pointing to her ear when her backhand
winner leveled the contest at a set apiece.
The third set was all one-way traffic as Gauff's speedy defense,
pinpoint serving and terrific play at the net overwhelmed former
two-time quarterfinalist Mertens.
Next up for sixth seed Gauff is an enticing first meeting with
returning veteran Wozniacki, who came from behind in similar
fashion and by a similar score line earlier in the day to see
off American Jennifer Brady 4-6 6-3 6-1.
"It's a matchup I never thought I'd have to play," Gauff said of
former world number one Wozniacki, who retired in 2020 to start
a family and returned to the game last month.
"When she retired I remember saying that I wish I could have
played her. So that wish came true so I'm really excited.
"I don't know if it's a battle of generations," she said of the
matchup between Gauff, 19, and the 33-year-old Dane.
"She's still fit and going strong. I think it's going to be an
exciting match."
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles. Editing by Gerry
Doyle and Miral Fahmy)
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