Gauff sees off Andreeva to reach Italian Open semis

ROME: Coco Gauff marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Wednesday by beating Mirra Andreeva in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).

American Gauff has guaranteed herself number two in the world rankings with her solid displays in Rome, where she saw off seventh seed Andreeva on centre court. Former US Open winner Gauff said that she had “a lot of confidence” for the last four, where she could face tournament favourite Aryna Sabalenka with the world number one taking on Zheng Qinwen later on Wednesday.

“Maybe some points weren´t my best. I still managed to be successful,” said Gauff. Gauff, 21, is looking for her first title of the season, ahead of Roland Garros starting later this month, after losing the Madrid final to Sabalenka.

Indian Wells champion Andreeva, at 18 years old the youngest woman to reach the last eight at the Foro Italico since Gauff in 2021, put up surprisingly little resistance in a low-key first set. And Gauff had too much for her in the second, quickly responding to each of Andreeva´s breaks of serve before coming through a tricky tie-break.