Ominous Gauff charges into Australian Open quarter-finals

USA`s Coco Gauff hits a return against Poland`s Magdalena Frech during their women`s singles match on day eight of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. Pic/AFP

Focused world number four Coco Gauff stormed into her first Australian Open quarter-final on Sunday with a straight-sets mauling of Poland's Magdalena Frech. The US Open champion was again in the zone to race past the unseeded Pole 6-1, 6-2 in just 63 minutes on Rod Laver Arena as she zeroes in on a second Grand Slam title.

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The 19-year-old had never progressed beyond the fourth round at Melbourne Park in four previous attempts, but has been in red-hot form and is yet to drop a set. She is now on a nine-match win streak following her title run at Auckland in the lead-up. Her reward is a clash with either unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk or Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva.

With seven of the women's top 10 seeds knocked out in the first week, Gauff has a clear-cut chance to add to her US Open title, with a potential showdown against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka looming in the semi-finals. Gauff wasted no time letting Frech know who was in charge, breaking in her opening service game with a forehand winner and breaking twice more as she romped through the set in just 26 minutes. The American won 17 of 22 points from the baseline, and all four at the net. She continued in the same vein in set two, breaking for 3-1 and never relenting to charge home.

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