WATCH: Coco Gauff leaps in the air to dodge Zheng Qinwen's errant shot on match point in Italian Open QF, celebrates after falling to the ground
Coco Gauff showcased her impressive athleticism during her quarterfinal clash against Zheng Qinwen at the 2024 Italian Open. Demonstrating her lightning-quick reflexes, Gauff skillfully avoided the Chinese's errant shot to secure her win.
The duo engaged in a thrilling contest in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event, with the World No. 3 narrowly edging past Zheng to clinch the opener 7-6(4). She then dominated the second set to claim a 7-6(4), 6-1 victory, booking her place in the Rome semifinals.
However, what stole the spotlight was a moment of pure athleticism from Coco Gauff on match point. Serving at 40-30, 5-1 in the second set, the American hit a shot that should have resulted in an easy winner for Zheng.
However, the Chinese mishit the ball and sent it straight into Gauff's path. To avoid touching the ball and thereby prolonging the match, the 20-year-old remarkably leaped in the air and successfully dodged contact.
After pulling off the maneuver and falling to the ground upon landing, Gauff celebrated with her arms raised in triumph before making her way over to shake hands with Zheng.
Coco Gauff: "I just tried to move out of the way because that would have been such a bad way to not win a match point"
Following her win over Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff opened up about the intention behind her athletic maneuver, disclosing that the errant shot would have undoubtedly hit her. She conveyed her determination to move out of its way to avoid losing a match point in such a "bad way."
"Oh 100 percent (it was going to hit me). I saw the ball and it came off her racquet so fast. I was completely running the other direction. I just tried to move out of the way because that would have been such a bad way to not win a match point. But I'm glad I didn't get hit," Coco Gauff said in her post-match interview.
"I was trying to make it clear that I didn't touch the ball. But I feel like as fast as it was going, it would have been obvious if I touched it," she added.
The American will take on Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the Italian Open, following the World No. 1's commanding 6-1, 6-3 win over Madison Keys.
Swiatek has won nine of her 10 matches against the World No. 3, including a straight sets win in their most recent clash at the 2023 WTA Finals. Coco Gauff has yet to pose a significant challenge to the four-time Grand Slam champion on clay, losing all three of their previous encounters without taking a set.