Coco Gauff defeated Mira Andreeva on Tuesday to reach her third consecutive Italian Open semifinals.
Both players played good tennis at the Italian Forum, but Gauff prevailed after 2 hours and 18 minutes.
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She had to work for it, especially in the final stages, but she held on to advance in three sets.
Gauff hailed Andreeva as a “great player” after the 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win
Coco Gauff rates herself B+
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
“I thought I played well today,” Gauff told Tennis Channel host Prakash Amritraj in the Italian capital.
“Sometimes when I’m ahead I can be a little passive, but she also gives me some unforced errors and then they start to land, which is normal.
“I’ve been in situations where you’re down 5-1 or 5-2 and then you’re like what, all of a sudden you win a few points and it’s 5-4 and you’re like I’ve got a chance!
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“I think, for me, I played a lot better than the last game, even though the result was the same, I felt a lot better on the court today. So maybe a B+.”
Gauff’s serve performance on Tuesday was outstanding, especially considering her recent struggles in that aspect of her game.
The American hit two aces and committed just four double faults in three sets. However, she may look to improve her second serve in the semifinals. She won only 38.5% of them.
Coco Gauff discusses upcoming matchup against Sorana Sistia
Coco Gauff will face Sorana Sistia in the semi-finals of the Italian Open following her victory over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Romania.
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Cirstea, 36, has announced she will retire at the end of the season despite having one of the best years of her career.
“She’s a great player and obviously this is her last season,” Gauff told Tennis Channel. “So she definitely has nothing to lose more than ever.
“I’m going to go out and expect another tough battle. I’ll be ready and hopefully I can make it to the finals.”
Gauff holds a 3-0 record against Cirstea, most recently defeating her at the Madrid Open in April. In that game, Gauff won 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 after losing a set first.
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