Coco Gauff defeated Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 6-4 to secure her Cincinnati Open quarter-final spot against Jasmine Paolini. The American, seeded third, showed slight rust after a bye in the previous round but maintained control to advance.
Gauff’s intended opponent, Dayana Yastremska, had withdrawn with injury, giving her a walkover into the last 16. Despite early service breaks in both sets, the 21-year-old recovered strongly to seal victory and book her third WTA 1000-level quarter-final of 2025 after Madrid and Rome. She reached the final in both those events.
“It’s super special to play on this court, I have so many memories from 2023,” Gauff said. “I played controlled but aggressive, but sometimes I was a bit passive. It’s tough because the ball really flies and she was giving me no pace. I had chances (when she lost serve) but I missed a couple of balls. I was still able to close it out.”
Paolini Powers Past Krejcikova to Set Rematch
In the day’s second match, Paolini defeated two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 6-2 in just over 70 minutes. The Italian capitalized on her opponent’s limited movement to cruise into the quarter-finals.
“I think she wasn’t at 100 percent, but she’s an unbelievable player,” said Paolini. “She can put the ball wherever she wants every time, I don’t know how she does this. But I’m happy that I tried to stay there mentally until the last point.”
This will be the fifth career meeting between Gauff and Paolini, with both winning two matches each. However, Gauff holds the hard court advantage, including a win over Paolini at this same stage en route to her 2023 Cincinnati title.
The quarter-final will be a rematch of their Rome final earlier this year, which Paolini won. Gauff will aim to repeat her 2023 Cincinnati triumph, while Paolini seeks to extend her winning run against the American.
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