Number 1 seed Coco Gauff beat 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-4 6-4 in 1 hour and 23 minutes to reach the quarter finals at the ASB Classic in Auckland in her second appearance at this tournament. The match was held indoors after long rain delays.
Kenin had clinched a come-back win against Gauff in the fourth round of the 2020 Australian Open in their only head-to-head match en route to her first Grand Slam title.
Gauff avenged this defeat in Auckland, where she fired nine aces and saved six of the nine break points she faced. Gauff earned an early break in the fourth game at deuce to build a 4-1 lead. The 2022 Roland Garros finalist was not able to serve out the set at 5-3, as Kenin pulled back on serve in the ninth game for 4-5. Gauff broke for the second time in the 10th game to close out the first set 6-4, as Kenin sent her forehand long on set point.
Both players went on serve with no break until 5-4. Gauff was not able to convert three game points and Kenin forced an error with her backhand to face a match point. Kenin converted her chance after a forehand from Kenin went long.
Gauff set up a quarter final match against world number 84 Zhu Lin from China, who came back from a set down to beat 2015 ASB Classic champion Venus Williams 3-6 6-2 7-5. The Asian player rallied from 3-5 down in the third set.
Williams was a break down at 2-1 when the match was delayed by rain for one hour. Williams won five of the next six games to close out the first set 6-3.
Zhu opened up a 4-2 lead with a break in the fourth game before the match was interrupted again by rain. After the match resumed two hours and a half later indoors Zhu earned her second break in the eighth game to close out the second set 6-2 drawing the match level to one set apiece.
Williams went up a break with a crosscourt forehand winner in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Zhu broke back in the 10th game, as Williams was serving for the match at 5-4. Zhu hit two drop-shots to fend off four break points and hold serve for 6-5.
Zhu earned her eighth break to seal the third set 7-5 on her first match point, winning the final five games of the match.
Leylah Fernandez cruised past Julia Grabber 6-0 6-1 in just 45 minutes to reach the quarter finals. The Canadian player, who reached the US Open final in 2021, beat Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-0 6-1 in the first round earlier this week. Fernandez set up a match against Belgian qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure, who rallied from one set down to beat Rebecca Marino 3-6 6-3 6-3 reaching the fifth WTA Tour quarter final of her career.
