Coco Gauff out in Australian Open semifinal

Aryna Sabalenka took a big step towards retaining her Australian Open crown by beating American fourth seed Coco Gauff 7-6(2) 6-4 in a thriller on Thursday to reach the final where she will meet Zheng Qinwen or qualifier Dayana Yastremska.

MELBOURNE — Aryna Sabalenka took a big step towards retaining her Australian Open crown by beating American fourth seed Coco Gauff 7-6(2) 6-4 in a thriller on Thursday to reach the final where she will meet Zheng Qinwen or qualifier Dayana Yastremska.

In a rematch of their U.S. Open final in September, the two reigning hardcourt Grand Slam champions made contrasting starts as Belarusian Sabalenka fired an ace and revved up her forehand to hold before pouncing on two double faults by Gauff to break.

But what followed was an intense contest between two players hoping to forge ahead and win their second Grand Slam title, and it was Sabalenka who held firm to become the first player since Serena Williams in 2016 and 2017 to make back-to-back Melbourne finals.

“I think I was able to focus on myself,” Sabalenka said. “I was thinking she’s going to move really well, put all balls back to me and I had to be ready to play an extra shot.

“I was just ready for anything tonight and I think that was the key. And the support, last time I played here I didn’t have almost any support.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/coco-gauff-australian-open-semifinal-rcna135612

---