By Rory Carroll
NEW YORK (Reuters) – France’s Caroline Garcia crushed upstart American Coco Gauff’s dreams of winning her first U.S. Open and taking the mantle from retiring Serena Williams with a comprehensive 6-3 6-4 win to reach her first major semi-final on Tuesday.
The veteran wasted no time putting pressure on the teenager, stepping into the court to attack Gauff’s second serve and clobbering forehands to race out to a 4-0 lead while rain-soaked fans were still finding their seats at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The ruthless Garcia, seeded 17th, captured the first set with an exquisite volley and kept her foot on the gas in the second, breaking Gauff in first game to keep the New York crowd hushed.
The 12th-seeded Gauff’s best chance to climb back into the match came when she had a break point opportunity to get back on serve while trailing 3-2 in the second.
But Garcia fired two unreturnable first serves and held after an exhausting rally when Gauff’s passing shot sailed long, leaving the 18-year-old looking dejected.
Garcia rolled from there and sealed the win when Gauff’s backhand landed in the net on match point.
Since coming back from a foot injury in May, Garcia has won three events on three different surfaces, on clay in Warsaw, where she beat world number one Iga Swiatek, grass in Bad Homburg and hardcourt at the Cincinnati Open.
Next up for the 28-year-old Garcia is a semi-final against Tunisian fifth seed Ons Jabeur.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in New York; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
