Australian Open results: Coco Gauff fights back to join Aryna Sabalenka in quarter-finals

Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to beat Belinda Bencic and join defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

The American third seed was not at his best but outlasted Switzerland’s Bencic 5-7 6-2 6-1.

Earlier, Sabalenka stormed past Russian 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in a 6-1 6-2 win.

Gauff’s win in 34 degree heat – the hottest day of the tournament so far – extended the 20-year-old’s winning streak to 11 matches.

“Maybe a couple of years ago, if I lost the first set, I might lose the match, and I remember my dad saying ‘we’ve got to toughen you up,'” Gauff said.

“I was just trying to put myself in the position where I could leave the court feeling proud of myself.”

Belarusian top seed Sabalenka, 26, meanwhile, is on course for a third successive Australian Open title after completing her victory over Andreeva in just 62 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.

It was the two-time champion’s 18th straight win at Melbourne Park and sets up a quarter-final against another Russian, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Pavlyuchenkova beat Croatian Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-0) 6-0 in the fourth round earlier on Sunday.

Gauff will play 11th seed Paula Badosa in the last eight after the Spaniard defeated Serbia’s Olga Danilovic 6-1 7-6 (7-2).

Should they both win their quarterfinals, Sabalenka and Gauff will meet in the semifinals.