Teen sensation Coco Gauff, doubles star Barbora Krejcikova and Greece’s Maria Sakkari reached their first Grand Slam quarter-final on Monday with straight-sets wins while Iga Swiatek prevailed to be the last Major winner and top seed standing.
Defending champion Swiatek earned 6-3, 6-4 victory over Ukrainian teenager Marta Kostyuk. The eighth seed from Poland has won 22 straight sets at Roland Garros and will take on Greek world number 18 Maria Sakkari for a place in the last four.
The 17-year-old Gauff, seeded 24, swept to a 6-3, 6-1 win and takes on Krejcikova of the Czech Republic for a place in the semi-finals.
Krejcikova achieved a straight sets win over 2018 runner-up and former US Open champion Sloane Stephens. Ranked 33 in the world, she defeated the American 6-2, 6-0 to record a ninth successive win on the tour having arrived in Paris on the back of a first singles title in Strasbourg.
Sakkari demolished last year’s runner-up Sofia Kenin 6-1, 6-3. The world No 18 needed just 68 minutes to defeat the fourth-seeded American and set up a clash with reigning champion Iga Swiatek or Ukrainian teenager Marta Kostyuk for a place in the last four.
Sakkari broke Kenin six times as the 2020 Australian Open winner committed 32 unforced errors and served nine double faults.
Swiatek, 20, is aiming to become the first woman to defend the title in Paris since Justine Henin won the tournament three times in a row from 2005 to 2007.
She extended her winning streak to 10 matches, having captured the Italian Open title in Rome last month. The 18-year-old Kostyuk, ranked 81, was making her first appearance in the last 16 of a major.
Gauff, in a composed performance on Court Philippe Chatrier, broke her fellow former junior champion Jabeur three times without facing a break point herself.
At the age of 17 years and 86 days, Gauff is the youngest woman to reach the last eight of a Slam since Nicole Vaidisova who made the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in 2006 aged 17 years and 44 days. She is also the youngest American woman to book a place in the last eight in Paris since Jennifer Capriati in 1993.
“I am super happy to reach my first Grand Slam quarter-final. I played really well today,” said Gauff who has yet to drop a set at the tournament.
Gauff came into the French Open on the back of a clay court title in Parma.
“Parma taught me how to close out matches and how to deal with pressure,” added the American who also discovered Monday that she had claimed a place on the American team for the Tokyo Olympics.
The win over Kenin was Sakkari’s third win over a top-five player this season. It also left eighth seed Swiatek as the highest-ranked player left in the women’s draw.
“The match before yesterday gave me a lot of confidence,” said Sakkari, who beat 14th seed Elise Mertens in three sets in the previous round.
“I played really good tennis and so today I was really ready for a battle.”
“I’m speechless. I love Paris. I’m having a great time and I don’t want to leave anytime soon,” said Sakkari, who reached the last 16 in Melbourne and New York last year.
“I’m actually enjoying myself, that’s the most important thing. I’m not actually torturing myself when I’m on court.”
Results
Fourth round
Coco Gauff (USA x24) bt Ons Jabeur (TUN x25) 6-3, 6-1
Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) bt Sloane Stephens (USA) 6-2, 6-0
Maria Sakkari (GRE x17) bt Sofia Kenin (USA x4) 6-1, 6-3
Iga Swiatek (POL x8) bt Marta Kostyuk (UKR) 6-3, 6-4
With AFP Inputs
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