Camila Giorgi knocked another seeded player out of the Omnium Banque Nationale on Friday night, as she defeated No.15 seed Coco Gauff, 6-4, 7-6(2), in their quarterfinal clash.
"I think it was a great match," Giorgi told the press, after her victory. "I think I was very consistent. It was a great level, I think."
It took an hour and 39 minutes for former Top 30 player Giorgi to oust the American teenager, extending her career-best performance in Canada. Giorgi had never reached the round of 16 at this event prior to this season.
World No.71 Giorgi has now eliminated three Top 25 players from the Montreal event this week. The hard-hitting Italian upset No.9 seed Elise Mertens in the first round and No.7 seed Petra Kvitova in the round of 16.
Gauff had defeated Giorgi in straight sets in their only previous meeting, which came during the American’s run to the title on the clay courts of Parma earlier this year, in Giorgi's home country.
However, Giorgi turned the tables on the Canadian hardcourts, winning 62 percent of points off of Gauff's second serve, which led to four breaks over two close sets.
"I think it's the first time I don't have interruption," Giorgi said, regarding her strong form. "I play many, many tournaments now in this year without stopping. So I think this is the key. I didn't have [this] in other years. I think I always had some issue physically, or injury or something. So I think now I'm playing my game really."
Another seed out by the hands of Giorgi 😎
— wta (@WTA) August 14, 2021
Camila Giorgi takes out the No.15 seed Gauff in straight-sets.#OBN21 pic.twitter.com/3U8fi1nWmh
Giorgi had Gauff on the back foot in the first few games, holding four unconverted break points on the American’s serve at 1-1, then breaking two games later to lead 3-2, after Gauff ceded the game with a double fault. Gauff was never able to fight her way back into the opening frame as Giorgi lost only four points on her serve in the first set.
The second set was a much different story as half of the 12 games went against serve. Giorgi served for the match twice, at 5-4 and 6-5, but each time Gauff carved her way out of trouble, blunting the Giorgi power game with deft reflexes and excellent placement.
But Giorgi took control for good in the second-set tiebreak, drawing return errors from Gauff while using sterling depth on her own returns. From 1-2 down, Giorgi racked up the last six points of the encounter to earn herself another big upset in Montreal.
Head to Head
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Next up for Giorgi will be a semifinal clash against Jessica Pegula of the United States. Pegula staged an incredible comeback to overcome No.13 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-0.
Pegula had already beaten Jabeur once in Canada, having knocked out the Tunisian in their first meeting, en route to her maiden WTA final at 2018 Quebec City. The rematch on Friday night also went to Pegula, but in a circuitous fashion.
Jabeur served for the match in the second set, but never got to match point as Pegula steered back from that dire deficit to claim victory. With the tiebreak set bookended by two brief sets, the match took only 88 minutes in total.
"I knew if I could hold onto my serve, I'd get my chances," Pegula told the press, after her win. "Obviously she made some errors there at the end. I got the momentum and started playing better. Just kind of ran away with that third."
Pegula has won all four of her matches this week in three sets, coming back from one set down in three of them. She and Jabeur were evenly matched, with only one point won separating the pair (75 for Jabeur to Pegula's 74).
"Honestly, I haven't really done anything that different," said Pegula, regarding her three-set wins, including two in a row at late night. "I've done like a little extra stuff in the gym just to help with my back and my hips and stuff like that. Honestly it's just kind of will. When there's a will, there's a way."
The three-set wins continue for the 🇺🇸@JLPegula bounces back to defeat Jabeur 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-0!#OBN21 pic.twitter.com/N32z3jAwHa
— wta (@WTA) August 14, 2021
Jabeur zipped through the first set, never letting Pegula hold a break point. The Tunisian continued to hold the momentum in the second set, finally earning the first break of that set at 5-4. However, serving for the match, Jabeur faltered, dropping serve for the first time.
Pegula tightened up her shots in the tiebreak while more errors began to creep into the Jabeur game, and the American was the first to get to set point at 6-4 with a forehand crosscourt winner. Another solid return by Pegula on the next point forced one more miscue from Jabeur, and Pegula had suddenly eked out the second set.
From there, it was all Pegula, as she fired her sturdy shots with more margin while the error count by Jabeur mounted. The decider took only 23 minutes as Pegula scooped up the bagel, completing her comeback and moving into her second semifinal of the season.
Looking ahead to Giorgi, Pegula said that the Italian is "always tough. She just goes for it, doesn't really back down. I don't mind playing someone like that. I think my game can match up well against her, but I think I'm going to have to start coming out a little quicker in these matches."
