Error-prone Gauff, Swiatek into
Indian Wells semis
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[March 15, 2024]
(Reuters) -Third seed Coco Gauff served up 17 double faults
but still managed to beat China's Yuan Yue 6-4 6-3 at Indian Wells
on Thursday to reach the semi-finals in the Californian desert for
the first time.
A day after her 20th birthday, Gauff had to rally from 3-1 down in
the second set before setting up a clash with ninth seed Maria
Sakkari, who ended American Emma Navarro's run with a 5-7 6-2 6-4
victory.
"I'm really happy to be through today's match," said one-time teen
prodigy Gauff.
"It wasn't the best style of the serving, but overall I think when
it comes to the groundstroke game and returns, everything else,
honestly, I played well. I'll just try and take the positives into
the next match."
Gauff, who said she celebrated her birthday with steak tacos, saved
seven of the 10 break points she faced over the match, including
three to avoid going 4-1 down in the second set.
"I pretty much just relied on me just out-rallying her and being
aggressive," Gauff added.
"I think a lot of break points that were saved, at least in that
second set, I just remember hitting a lot of forehand winners."
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Gauff joined Iga Swiatek and Caroline Wozniacki as the only players
to have reached five WTA 1000 semi-finals before the age of 21.
Top seed Swiatek earlier also reached the semi-finals after former
world number one Wozniacki retired with a foot injury early in the
second set of their quarter-final.
Wozniacki started strongly as she raced into a 4-1 lead but she was
soon left frustrated as Swiatek produced a barrage of winners to
storm back and win the set 6-4.
The Dane, who returned to the circuit last year after taking a
three-year break to start a family, had a medical timeout to have
her right foot re-strapped at the end of the first set.
That failed to improve the situation, however, and she gestured to
her opponent that she was unable to continue once Swiatek had taken
a 1-0 lead in the second.
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![](../images/031524PIX/sports19.jpg)
Mar 14, 2024; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Yue Yuan (CHN) gets set to
receive a serve in her quarterfinal match against Coco Gauff (USA)
in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory
Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
![](../images/ads/current/graue_lda_4_2021.png)
"I have a huge respect for her and I'm sad she has
to go that way, I'm sure she will recover and I hope she will be
ready for Miami," Swiatek said.
"But I'm happy that I played well enough in first set to win it."
Swiatek, the 2022 champion, will face Marta Kostyuk in the
semi-finals after the Ukrainian defeated Anastasia Potapova 6-0 7-5.
"Let's not put expectations too high," world number 32 Kostyuk said
of her meeting with Swiatek.
"She's a great competitor, she's been on top of the game for two
years already."
Sakkari, who is working with new coach David Witt for the first time
at Indian Wells after a patchy run of results, closed out the
evening with a comeback win over Navarro to reach the semi-finals of
the tournament for a third straight year.
"That was the toughest match I've played in a while," said Sakkari.
"Emma is an incredible player ... She's been playing amazing. It's a
huge win. I'm very happy I found a way to win this match today."
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City and Nick Mulvenney in
Sydney, Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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