Unseeded Cincinnati Open semifinalist Sara Bejlek gets Coco Gauff next
No. 4 seed Coco Gauff awaits unseeded Sara Bejlek in the Cincinnati Open semifinals.
Sara Bejlek, a 20-year-old tennis player from Czechia, faced off against Madison Keys in a thrilling quarterfinal match at the Cincinnati Open. The unseeded Bejlek, who is currently ranked 35th by the WTA, stunned the top seed with a hard-fought victory. This impressive win has propelled Bejlek into the semifinals of the tournament, where she will face No. 4 Coco Gauff in her first WTA 1000 semifinal.
Gauff, who recently defeated Marta Kostyuk, has never before battled against Bejlek. Prior to her win against Keys, Bejlek had already upset the highly-ranked Aryna Sabalenka. During an interview with Prakash Amritraj on Tennis Channel, Bejlek emphasized that nerves were a factor in her loss to Keys, but she quickly turned her focus towards the next match.
She stated, "I was pretty nervous in the first set. So I was just trying to cool down and not think about what is going on. I was thinking 'do the best that you can do' and that s it." Bejlek credits her childhood hero, Rafael Nadal, as her main inspiration growing up. She also enjoys a variety of interests outside of tennis, such as sports, music, and food. Bejlek's three dogs are a source of inspiration and happiness for her during challenging times.
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