In a third-round match at the WTA Canadian Open on Friday, Russia’s Diana Shnaider defeated defending US Open champion Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-1.
Shnaider defeated world number two Gauff, the top-seeded American who was defeated in her attempt to win her eighth career WTA title, to win the 20-year-olds’ first match against a top-10 opponent.
“I tried to play it cool, but inside I was like, ‘Yes, I made it,” said Shnaider.
Asked how she pulled off the stunner, Shnaider replied, “Honestly I still don’t know. It was a little bit tough conditions. It was very windy but I’m very glad I managed to overcome it.”
The 24th-ranked Russian is vying for her fourth WTA championship of the year, after in Thailand, Budapest, and Bad Homburg.
In just 70 minutes, Shnaider defeated Gauff in her maiden WTA Masters level round of 16 match. This secured her a quarterfinal match against sixth seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, who beat Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-2, 6-4.
In the tenth game, Shnaider defeated Gauff to win the first set. In the second set, the American gave up a break and gave Shnaider a 3-1 lead, from which he never recovered.
“Sometimes I question like whether I should have played or not,” Gauff said. “But at the end of the day I wanted to test myself and see if I would be able to, how I would do being mentally tired a little bit and physically fatigued.
“I didn’t have high expectations, but I wish I could have competed better today, even if it resulted in a loss. I don’t think I competed well.”
In the last significant practice before the US Open, Gauff will compete next week in Cincinnati, where she is the defending champion.
US third seed and reigning champion Jessica Pegula overcame her countrywoman Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-4 to go to the quarterfinals where she faced another American, Peyton Stearns. After 12th seed Victoria Azarenka retired, Peyton Stearns won 6-4, 4-2 to advance.
Emma Navarro, ranked seventh, will take on Taylor Townsend in another quarterfinal featuring only Americans.
While Townsend defeated Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the fourth seed, 6-2, 6-1, Navarro overcame Marta Kostyuk, the eleventh seed from Ukraine, 7-5, 7-5.
Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending Australian Open champion, defeated Katie Boulter of Britain 6-3, 6-3 with 24 winners.
The American Amanda Anisimova was defeated by the second-seeded Belarusian player to reach the quarterfinals.
