Australian Open: Coco Gauff, Novak Djokovic reach semifinals

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Coco Gauff overcame a 5-1 first-set deficit and broke foe Marta Kostyuk's serve nine times en route to a three-set triumph, clinching a spot Tuesday in the Australian Open semifinals for the first time in her career.

"I didn't play my best tennis, but I'm really proud I was able to get through today's match," Gauff told reporters. "Hopefully I got the bad match out of the way and I can play even better."

The 19-year-old American needed three hours and eight minutes to win the 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-2 quarterfinal. She fired one ace, 17 winners and earned 22 break point opportunities. She logged 51 unforced errors.

Kostyuk logged two aces, 39 winners and converted 7 of 14 break points against the No. 4 seed. She totaled 56 unforced errors.

Gauff will meet No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the semifinals. She last played the Belarusian in September in the U.S. Open final, when she captured her first career Grand Slam singles title.

Sabalenka, the defending Australian Open champion, beat No. 9 Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3 Tuesday at Rod Laver Arena. She won that match in just 71 minutes.

The winner of the Gauff-Sabalenka match will not face a Top 10 player in the final.

Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic will battle Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in another women's singles quarterfinal on Day 11. No. 12 Zheng Qinwen of China will face Anna Kalinskaya of Russia in the other quarterfinal.

On the men's side, No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia beat No. 12 Taylor Fritz of the United States 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Day 10 to reach the semifinals. The defending champion totaled 20 aces, 52 winners and converted 4 of 21 break point opportunities in the 3-hour, 45-minute match. He logged 26 unforced errors, compared to Fritz's 39.

"The conversion of break points was really poor," Djokovic said on the ESPN broadcast. "But at the end of the day, I managed to break him when it mattered, in the third and the fourth. I think I upped my game probably midway through the third set and all the way to the end."

Djokovic will face No. 4 Jannik Sinner of Italy in the semifinals. The winner of that match will meet a Top 9 player in the finale.

No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain will take on No. 6 Alexander Zverev of Germany in one of the two remaining quarterfinals. The winner of that match will battle No. 3 Daniil Medvedev of Russia or No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in the other semifinal.

Australian Open quarterfinal coverage will resume at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN+ and 9 p.m. on ESPN.