Daily Times

MELBOURNE: Fourth seed Coco Gauff was happy to avoid another Grand Slam “dogfight” as the American reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the first time with a 6-1 6-2 win over Pole Magdalena Frech on Sunday.

The U.S. Open champion, who has yet to drop a set at the Melbourne Park major this year, broke the unseeded Frech in the opening game at a chilly Rod Laver Arena and never let her settle into a rhythm.

While Gauff has enjoyed relatively smooth passage through the first four rounds in Melbourne, her run to last year’s Flushing Meadows final saw her battle through several three-set matches before claiming her first Grand Slam title.

“I’d love for every match to go pretty easy. I know that’s not the case,” Gauff said. “At the U.S. Open, every match I won was pretty much a dogfight.

“Sometimes, I don’t know if that’s the ideal way to win a Slam because you have to last seven matches. I just think I had the physical ability and mental ability to do that.

“Going into this, I’ve always had the goal of trying to do better at making the first couple rounds. Not easier but closing them in straight sets and not putting too much stress on the mind and the body.”

Still only 19, Gauff said she was already thinking about her longevity in the game.

“I’m not always going to be able to bounce back as quick physically or mentally probably years from now,” she said.

“I think it’s just prepping myself. Everything I do has always been for the longevity of my career.”

With Australian great Rod Laver watching in the crowd, Gauff wrapped up the contest in just over an hour to seal a last eight berth where she will face unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who defeated Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva.

Gauff, who successfully defended her Auckland title before the year’s first Grand Slam, looked flawless from the baseline and in her forays to the net as she went 5-1 up and sealed the opening set when the 69th-ranked Frech made a forehand error.

The American found the going a little tougher in the next set as the 26-year-old Frech looked to lengthen the rallies but she broke for 3-1 and pushed home her advantage to extend her unbeaten run in 2024 to nine matches.

“I know when it comes to crunch time, if I have a long match the round before or not, I’ll still compete the same and still feel just as sharp,” Gauff said.