Coco Gauff’s run at the Australian Open has come to an end, after a quarterfinal defeat to Elina Svitolina.
Svitolina cruised past the two-time Grand Slam winner 6-1, 6-2 at Rod Laver Arena in a strong showing.
Gauff, who was seeded third, had looked sharp throughout the tournament but was stopped by the No.12 seed in convincing fashion.
The Ukrainian needed less than an hour to reach her first Australian Open semifinal, stunning fans with how efficiently she took apart Gauff’s game.
Tim Henman surprised by advice from Coco Gauff’s coach
But it’s Gauff who is drawing most of the discussion after the match, including from former British number one Tim Henman.
At 0-3 in the second set, her coach, Gavin MacMillan, offered some simple instructions: “She is playing great. What you have to do is literally everything aim middle for now. Go for that and that’s it.”
Speaking on TNT Sports, Henman questioned the approach: “If you are number three in the world and your coach is saying to you aim for the middle that says it all. That is not a tactic.
“That is basically trying to give yourself the biggest margin for error and against a quality opponent if you can only hit it down the middle, she is going to take advantage.”
Svitolina made full use of that strategy, helping her secure what was her 24th career win over a top-five player.
Elina Svitolina’s dominant display against Coco Gauff
Gauff split from her coach Matt Daly before the 2025 US Open and at the same time brought in MacMillan, who has been working to address her serving issues, particularly the high number of double faults.
She recorded five double faults against Svitolina, with no aces, while her opponent had just one double fault and four aces.
While much of the focus is on Gauff, the 31-year-old Ukrainian deserves recognition for her performance.
Svitolina’s experience was clear throughout the match. She has lost only one set this season and will now face world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
