Gauff expresses relief following victory over Pliskova in Berlin - "It was really tough to be honest"

American tennis sensation Coco Gauff advanced to the first grass-court semifinal of her career on Friday, knocking out former World No.1 Karolina Pliskova at the bett1open.

The 18-year old recorded a 7-5 6-4  over the fourth seed in 1 hour and 37 minutes, fighting off four set points in the first set to notch the first tour-level grass-court quarterfinal win of her career.

"I’m super happy with how I played today," Gauff said afterward. "Playing her on grass, with her serve, how flat she hits the ball, it was really tough to be honest. I had to come up with a couple different game styles that I normally don’t use, but sometimes it’s like that.

"A first semifinal on grass is pretty cool, and also I feel like the opponents I’ve played this week haven’t been easy, especially today, so I’m proud of myself about that."

The American will face top seed Ons Jabeur in the semifinal, as the Tunisian battled past Aliaksandra Sasnovich in her quarterfinal match. Gauff has won three of her four meetings with Jabeur, but this will be their first clash on grass. In their most recent match, Gauff ousted Jabeur in the Round of 16 at 2021 Roland Garros.