Coco Gauff is known across her sport for her mental toughness and problem-solving abilities, her tendency to grind out wins from unenviable positions. However, down 1-6, 0-3, 0-30 on Tuesday night and sinking quickly, the 21‑year‑old has rarely looked as helpless on a tennis court as when she expressed her despair to her support team. “She’s outdoing me in everything,” she said.
This time, there was no way back for the third seed as Elina Svitolina ended a courageous, focused performance by securing the most significant result of the Australian Open so far, dismantling Gauff 6-1, 6-2 to reach her first semi-final in Melbourne.
