Coco Gauff beat Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-4 at the Berlin Open on Friday to reach the semi-finals on grass for the first time and set up a match with Ons Jabur.
Coco Gauff beats 2021 Wimbledon finalist Pliskova in Berlin (AP Photo)
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- American tennis player Coco Gauff defeated number four Karolina Pliskova
- Coco Gauff reaches semi-finals on grass for the first time
- Gauff said he needed some time to find his rhythm
American tennis player Coco Gauff advanced to the semi-finals of the German Open in Berlin on Friday by defeating No. 4 seed Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-4 in 1 hour and 37 minutes.
In her first quarterfinal on grass in previously uncharted territory, the 18-year-old French Open finalist had to go down 2-0 at the start of each set against an opponent who was the Wimbledon runner-up last year.
Gough replied that he needed some time to find his rhythm, mixing his shots to include more slices.
“It was really difficult to be honest. I’ve had to come up with a few different playing styles that I don’t usually use, but sometimes do,'” she said.
Pliskova could not play her first final match since August. The Czech player missed the first two months of this season when she broke her arm in an accident while training at the gym.
Fourth-placed Jabur beat Aliksandra Sasnovi 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals.
In the second half of the draw, sixth-ranked Maria Sakkari is her first semifinalist on the grass after a 6-0, 6-3 win over French Open semifinalist Daria Kasatkina.
Kasatkina dropped the first set before returning in her last two games in Berlin this week but could not find a way against Sakkari’s power hitting.
“I’m very happy that I had the right game plan. I went for it, I was very aggressive and I really enjoyed it,” said Sakkari, who has won three straight matches for the first time since March and made her run to the Indian Wells final.
In the semi-finals, Greek player Belinda Bencic will face Veronika Kudermatova 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.