Melbourne, Jan. 27 -- World number three Coco Gauff was left shell-shocked on Tuesday after a dispiriting straight-sets defeat to veteran Elina Svitolina in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
The two-time grand slam champion entered as a warm favorite, but her high-voltage game was plagued by unforced errors and misfiring serves.
12th-seeded Svitolina capitalized 6-1, 6-2 in less than an hour to storm into the semifinals for the fourth time at a major and the first since Wimbledon in 2023.
Standing in the way of the Ukrainian's bid to reach a first grand slam final is top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who Svitolina will play in the semifinal.
"I'm very, very pleased with the tournament so far," Svitolina said.
The match launched the night sess...