Local hero Coco Gauff was the first player to reach the semifinals at the US Open with a show of force.
The 19-year-old American defeated Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia 6-0, 6-2, making the world number six in the last four of one of the four Grand Slams for the second time since the 2022 French Open.
After only 67 minutes, Gauff used her third match point in the long one-sided encounter. However, Ostapenko, who had defeated the defending champion Iga Swiatek from Poland in three sets in the round of 16, was completely lost, especially in the first set.
The number 21 in the world rankings made 15 so-called unforced mistakes, in the end it was 36 points that she more or less gave Gauff.
After the disastrous first set, which lasted only 20 minutes, Ostapenko recovered a bit. In phases in which she could have turned the match around again, she didn’t stand a chance against Gauff, who was very concentrated and consistent.
The American will meet Soreana Cirstea (Romania) or Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) on the way to her second Grand Slam final after the French Open last year, where she failed in the fight for the title at Swiatek.