Recording her second career victory over a Top 5 player, Coco Gauff dispatched of World No.4 Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday to book her spot in the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome.
The American teenager stunned the recent Madrid champion 7-5 6-3, ending the Belarusian's seven-match winning streak and securing her place in her fourth WTA quarterfinal of 2021.
"It's one of those matches that for me as a fan, if I were to be able to watch myself play, that would be a match that I would want to watch," Gauff said. "Because you know we're going to bring everything we have from the beginning to the end. She brings the intensity on the court from the first point. I have to make sure that I manage that and bring even more intensity. I think you feel it the whole match."
The pair had split their previous encounters, with Gauff prevailing in Lexington last year while Sabalenka won the rematch in Ostrava. However, it was the World No.35 who was the more consistent player in Rome, as she maintained her composure to clinch the match.
"Now I really am trying to enjoy the pressure, enjoy the moment," added the 17-year old. "Today I definitely said to myself I'm really having fun out there, even though it was 6-5, 5-All in the first set, which is stressful. I think I have to make sure I enjoy those moments in the matches, because later on in life I'm probably going to wish I could come back to this moment and experience it again. I'm going to enjoy these moments while they're happening."
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Awaiting Gauff in the quarterfinals is World No.1 Ashleigh Barty, who made quick work of Veronika Kudermetova in her round of 16 match. This will be their first encounter on the WTA circuit, with the top seed poised to be a tougher challenge for the young American.
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