Coco Gauff defeated Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson 6:3, 1:6, 6:4 in the third set on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Trailing 2-4, Gauff fought back to secure three break points while serving to make it 4-1 before ending the game in the next game.
Four years ago, Peterson defeated a then 14-year-old Gauff at a Challenger tournament in Michigan.
“She hit me really hard,” said Gauff on the field. “I think it was really mental today just to stay in the game. I didn’t give my best at times and didn’t serve as well as I would have liked, but I think my mentality was holding me back.”
The sixth-seeded American next plays against number two Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated 16th-seeded Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 2-6 6-4.
NO. 3 Jessica Pegula lost to Petra Kvitova in 15th place 6-2 3-6 7-6 (11) after the American gambled away four match points
“If the game is like that, very tiring,” said Kvitova. “Back and forth. It’s definitely one of the best games I’ve ever played.”
Sorana Cirstea defeated Caroline Garcia, no. 5, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, No. 7, Maria Sakkari, 17th seed Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 and No. 10, Elena Rybakina, eliminated. defeated Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 6-0.
In the men’s title, defending champion Taylor Fritz reached the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Marton Fucsovics.
NO. 5 Daniil Medvedev overcame a swollen right ankle to beat twelfth seeded Alexander Zverev 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 7-5.
“When I rolled my ankle, I rolled it pretty hard,” he said. “The moment I rolled it I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll get up and I’ll be fine’, but then I just lay on the floor because the pain kept getting worse. It was definitely an insane game.”
Medvedev endured a medical delay to tap his ankle in the second set before recording his 17th straight win and improving to 22-2 this year.
“That was definitely the hardest of all,” he said on the pitch.
Zverev added to the drama by saving a match point and breaking 5-5 in the final set. Medvedev broke right back and kept winning.
Next up is Spain’s Alejandro Davidovch Fokina, who defeated Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-4.
The 2021 No. 10 champion Cameron Norrie defeated sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4. Norrie improved to 21-3 this year.
Norrie reached a quarterfinal match against Frances Tiafoe, who defeated qualifier Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-4.
Source: LA Times
Robert Happel is an author and sports journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep passion for sports and a talent for analyzing the latest developments in the world of athletics. With a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge on the subject, Robert has become a respected voice in the field of sports journalism.
