Canada's Andreescu ousted by Gauff in 2nd round of San Diego Open
Gauff to face top-ranked Swiatek in quarter-finals on Friday
Sixth-seeded American Coco Gauff got past unseeded Bianca Andreescu of Canada 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, showing off her fiery shotmaking in the decisive third set in the round of 16 at the WTA 500 San Diego Open on Thursday.
"There were some turning points, but every game mattered, every point mattered," Gauff said. "We both fought hard and the atmosphere was great."
Gauff's lunging down-the-line forehand just out of Andreescu's reach sent her into Friday's quarter-final match against top-ranked Iga Swiatek.
The match will be a reprise of this year's French Open final, won in straight sets by Swiatek, who also defeated Gauff in the 2021 Italian Open.
"Iga is a champion, so we'll see how things go this time," said the 18-year-old Gauff, who has competed against Swiatek since both were highly-ranked juniors.
Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski advanced to the women's doubles semifinals in San Diego alongside partner Giuliana Olmos of Mexico earlier on Thursday. The second-ranked duo claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 win over Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic and Taiwain's Chan Hao-ching in the quarter-finals.
Dabrowski and Olmos will next face either Storm Sanders and Luisa Stefani, or Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
The $757,900 US WTA 500 San Diego Open, held at San Diego's Barnes Tennis Center, features seven of the top 10 players in the rankings.
WATCH | Gauff eliminates Andreescu at San Diego Open:
Swiatek advances with 3-set victory
Swiatek needed more than two hours to post a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Zheng Qinwen of China in her opening match earlier on Thursday.
Contending with a steady mist that caused a 30-minute delay just after the match's initial point was played and a brief halt early in the second set, Swiatek shook off the hard-hitting Zheng, ranked 28th, in the round of 16 match.
Playing on a slick hardcourt surface, both players made frequent use of drop shots, which caused Swiatek to take a fall in the second set as she attempted to return a successful Zheng drop shot.
The first and second sets were tied at 4-all. In the opening set, Swiatek broke Zheng's serve for a 5-4 lead before holding serve.
With the score tied 4-all in the second set, it was Zheng who broke Swiatek for a 5-4 advantage. Zheng fended off five break points before claiming the ninth game. Zheng then broke Swiatek to tie the match at a set apiece.
As tightly contested as the opening sets were, Swiatek quickly grabbed a 5-1 led in the third. She captured the decisive final game, winning four straight points at love.
With files from CBC Sports
