Tennis upset: Gauff, Swiatek advance to Indian Wells semis

Coco Gauff, despite committing 17 double faults, managed to secure a victory over China’s Yuan Yue with scores of 6-4, 6-3 at Indian Wells, marking her first semi-final appearance at the event. Celebrating her 20th birthday just a day earlier, Gauff overcame a 3-1 deficit in the second set to gear up for a semi-final showdown against ninth-seed Maria Sakkari, who triumphed over American Emma Navarro in a tight match ending 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.

Gauff expressed satisfaction with her performance outside of her serve, highlighting her strong groundstrokes and returns. She successfully defended against several break points, especially in the crucial second set, by leaning on her aggressive play and forehand winners.

This achievement places Gauff alongside Iga Swiatek and Caroline Wozniacki as one of the few players to reach the semi-finals of five WTA 1000 events before turning 21.

In another quarter-final, top seed Iga Swiatek advanced after Caroline Wozniacki, a former world number one, had to retire due to a foot injury in the early stages of the second set. Wozniacki had initially taken a lead, but Swiatek rallied to take the first set. Wozniacki’s attempt to continue after a medical timeout proved futile, leading to her retirement early in the second set.

Swiatek, who won the tournament in 2022, will face Marta Kostyuk in the semi-finals following Kostyuk’s victory over Anastasia Potapova with scores of 6-0, 7-5. Kostyuk, cautious about setting high expectations, acknowledged Swiatek’s prowess and her consistent performance at the top of women’s tennis.

Maria Sakkari’s win over Navarro, under the guidance of her new coach David Witt, was a hard-fought victory that propelled her into the semi-finals for the third consecutive year. Sakkari praised Navarro’s exceptional play, emphasizing the significance of her win in a challenging match.