Coco Gauff advanced to her first career WTA 1000-level semifinal on Friday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome , as her opponent, top seed Ashleigh Barty; was forced to retire during the second set.
After claiming the first set 6-4, Barty suffered a right arm injury that required a medical timeout. Despite donning a compression sleeve, the World No.1 was unable to continue the match, conceding at 6-4 2-1 to her younger opponent.
"It's not a way you want to win a match," admitted Gauff after the match. "At the end when she told me she was retiring, forfeiting or retiring the match... Obviously I felt for her, but when you have the chance to play the No. 1 player in the world, it's not a good feeling to win this way."
"When she called the physio, I mean, I knew she had her leg taped before the match, but I think she always has that taped... When she came up to me, I was shocked. I didn't know what to make of it, just because I didn't feel like there was anything going on. I send the best well wishes, and hopefully she can get well before the French Open." Gauff added.
The 17-year old will face either Elina Svitolina or reigning Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek for a place in the final, as both ladies had their match postponed due to inclement weather. Gauff has never played against Swiatek, and she trails Svitolina 0-1 in career meetings on the WTA circuit.
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"I played Svitolina in Australia. Honestly that match, even though the score didn't say it, I felt like it was a high-quality match. She plays super well, so I know what I have to expect, high intensity from the first point to the last," Gauff said.
"Regarding Swiatek, she has great results on the clay. Obviously, she won French Open last year... so I think either/or it's going to be a tough match. They are both fighters. They both have good results in Grand Slams and in 1000s, so I think it's just going to come down to who wants it more. I'm going to try my best."
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