WTA Auckland: Gauff dismisses Gracheva, sets up all-American clash against Navarro
Gauff defeated Varvara Gracheva 6-1, 6-1 to win her eighth match in a row in Auckland
American Coco Gauff, the top seed, moved into the semi-finals of the Auckland Open by defeating Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva, the No 8 seed, 6-1, 6-1 at the ASB Tennis Arena on Friday.
Gauff, ranked No 3 in the world and reining Auckland champion, will play fellow American Emma Navarro, the No 4 seed, next.
The 19-year-old American, who won her first Grand Slam at the US Open in September, won against Claire Liu (6-4, 6-2) and qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtova (6-3, 6-0) ahead of her victory, marking eight consecutive straight sets wins in Auckland as she won the title in 2023 without the loss of a set.
In the previous rounds of the Auckland tournament, Gracheva, ranked No 42, won against qualifier Tereza Martincova (6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2) and Swiss Lulu Sun (6-3, 6-4).
ASB Tennis Arena WTA 250, other quarter-final matches (USD 267,082):
- Emma Navarro beat Petra Martic (7): 6-4, 6-3
- Marie Bouzkova vs. Elina Svitolina
- Xiyu Wang vs. Diane Parry
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