By Rory Carroll
NEW YORK (Reuters) – American teenager Coco Gauff used her superior speed to overcome a second set deficit and pull off a thrilling 7-5 7-5 win over China’s Zhang Shuai to reach the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open for the first time.
In a battle between the youngest player left in the draw, the 18-year-old Gauff, and the oldest, the 33-year-old Zhang, it was the Chinese player who looked sharper at the outset, breaking for a 2-0 lead in the first set.
But 12th seed Gauff battled back and fired a two-handed backhand winner to claim the first set and electrify the supportive crowd.
Zhang, a human backboard content to extend rallies from the baseline, grabbed a 5-3 lead when she broke Gauff with a backhand winner of her own in the second set.
But Gauff remained poised, breaking back to take a 6-5 lead and winning the point of the match with her astonishing speed when she slid from corner to corner to elicit the error from Zhang.
The crowd roared in approval and Zhang covered her ears to block out the sound, which was amplified by the closed roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium due to rain.
Gauff sealed the nearly two-hour affair on an error by Zhang and the two exchanged a warm hug at the net.
Next up for Gauff is Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, who beat American Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-4 6-1 earlier on Sunday.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in New York; Editing by Ken Ferris)
