Coco Gauff beats Iva Jovic to reach US Open quarter-finals

NEW YORK: Fourth seed Coco Gauff continued her bid for a third Grand Slam title by reaching the US Open quarter-finals with a commanding 6-1, 6-4 victory over fellow American Iva Jovic here at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.

The 21-year-old produced a dominant performance against 14th seed Jovic to book her place in the last eight.

Gauff will next face Russian Mirra Andreeva in a quarter-final clash between the last two French Open champions.

Andreeva has also enjoyed an impressive run at the tournament, setting up an intriguing contest between two of the sport's leading young players.

Jovic entered the match with confidence after overcoming Alexandra Eala in a three-set battle in the previous round. However, she struggled to cope with Gauff's power and improved serving.

Both players exchanged early breaks before Gauff found her rhythm. The American then reeled off two further breaks to take control of the opening set, which she wrapped up in just over 30 minutes.

Jovic improved in the second set, holding serve twice and briefly shifting the momentum with a break. Gauff, however, responded immediately as errors began to hurt the teenager's chances.

Jovic dropped serve again, allowing Gauff to serve for the match. She ended the contest with 30 unforced errors compared with just nine winners.

Reflecting on her triumph, Gauff praised Jovic’s talent and expressed confidence that they will share many more battles in the future.

"Iva is an incredible player and an incredible talent, she plays beyond her years," said Gauff.

"I'm looking forward to many more battles out here, I'm sure we will be playing a lot more matches in the future."