Coco Gauff a step nearer Eastbourne final

Gauff has become one of the biggest stars in the game since her breakthrough run at Wimbledon four years ago and, despite still being only 19, she has become a commanding figure in the sport, attracting attention wherever she goes.

At seventh in the world rankings, there are very few players that she would fear but on Thursday she was perhaps the underdog against Jessica Pegula - an all too familiar opponent for her.

While both Gauff and Pegula are at the current peaks of their singles careers, together they are also a formidable doubles partnership - reaching the French Open final a year ago.

World No.4 Pegula won their only previous singles encounter in Dubai a year ago, and based on ranking she was the favourite when they walked onto Eastbourne’s Centre Court on Thursday. But it was Gauff, with a serve and ground game almost pitch perfect for grass, who was in control this time around, easing her way to a 6-3 6-3 victory.

Playing a friend is surely never easy but Gauff is fully aware that it can often be an awkward reality. “It’s sport you know - nothing’s going to change. I’ve lost before to her, so I was just trying to get a win against her,” she said.

“I’m really happy with how I played. Obviously I know Jessica very well, she’s one of the best players in the world and one of the best players on tour for a reason, so I’m really happy to come through today.”

It is a case of one familiar opponent to another for the teenager, with Madison Keys standing between her and a place in a first Eastbourne final. Keys may not be seeded in this stacked women’s draw on the south coast, but dismiss her at your peril.

The 28-year-old is a former world No.7 and was a US Open finalist back in 2017, reaching five Grand Slam semi-finals in total and winning six WTA singles titles. The first of those titles came at this very event nine years ago, and she was able to navigate Petra Martic and multiple rain delays to book her spot in the last four once again, claiming a 6-4 6-1 triumph.

Keys commented: ”It was a lot better than I expected it to be. The forecast was a lot worse when we were looking at it, so it wasn’t a surprise that we had to stop one or two times. Overall I’m just happy to be in the semi-finals. I’ve just been really enjoying myself on the court, not having so much pressure on myself and being able to relax.

“I’ve always loved grass, it was my first title when I won here, so being able to start this part of the season in a place that means a lot to me is great.”

The older of the two Americans will be the underdog come Friday, with the world No.25 having lost her past two meetings to Gauff.

But, much like her opponent she has a game that is well-suited to this surface, and if she is on form there are very few that can live with her raw power.

It is all set to be a fascinating contest, and a test that Gauff will have to navigate as she looks to reach just the fifth WTA singles final of her career.

For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA we bsite.

SHUKER THROUGH

British No.1 and world No.10 Lucy Shuker will play world No.1 and defending champion Diede de Groot of the Netherlands on Friday at the LTA’s Rothesay International Eastbourne after Shuker and fellow Brit Greg Slade both made winning starts to their campaigns on the first of three days of wheelchair tennis competition at Devonshire Park.

Shuker beat British No.4 Ruby Bishop 6-1 6-0 in 45 minutes as she reached the semi-finals in Eastbourne for the first time, but it was not to be for British No.3 Abbie Breakwell, who lost out to China’s world No.5 and 2022 semi-finalist Zhenzhen Zhu 6-2, 6-2.

With top seed De Groot and second seed Jiske Griffioen both having byes into the semi-finals, Shuker will now bid to beat De Groot for just the fifth time in 19 matches. She said:

“It’s lovely to play in a home tournament and it’s great to get the experience on the grass. It’s incredibly tough. It felt like whoever had that first strike or a good serve or a good return was going to win the point. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just got a new chair, so it’s my first outing in that and I’m really happy with that one. I’m here to get experience and time on the grass. Diede’s an incredible athlete and a great tennis player. I’ll give it my all and I know it’s a long shot, but you never know. I’m going to enjoy it, that’s the main thing.”

Elsewhere, Slade’s competitive grass court match debut saw the British No.2 win 11 games in a row to beat Gary Cox 6-3, 6-0. Slade, who last week was awarded a wild card to make his Grand Slam debut at The Championships, Wimbledon, in two weeks’ time, said:

“It was good fun. I got the win, so that always makes it good. The grass is tough to push on, especially with it being a bit damp, but I thought I dealt with it well. You just have to put more effort into it and keep the chair moving and I made it work. Hopefully later on this week it will get a bit sunnier and bit a bit drier.”

Slade will now play British No.1 and world No.8 Andy Lapthorne on Saturday after Lapthorne begins the defence of the quad singles title he won at the Rothesay Classic Birmingham last year with a contest against Cox tomorrow.