Dialed-in Jelena Ostapenko hits Coco Gauff off the court in Australian Open round of 16

When the Australian Open women’s draw was released, a French Open rematch between Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff was the projected top quarterfinal. Could this be the time Gauff finally solved the Swiatek riddle?

That question won’t be answered in Melbourne. After Swiatek was sent packing by reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, 2017 Roland Garros titlist Jelena Ostapenko continued the power player narrative by eliminating Gauff, 7-5, 6-3.

"I always knew and believed in my game. If I play well, I can beat almost anyone," Ostapenko said in press afterwards. "I was trying to work more on my consistency, especially in the preseason. Yeah, just to step on the court and play my game. I think I'm doing it quite well this week."

It’s an opportunity missed for Gauff that will sting for reasons beyond the chance to face an opponent other than Swiatek in a Grand Slam quarterfinal. The No. 7 seed didn’t consolidate an early break against Ostapenko; saw four break points—including a 0-40 advantage—go to waste in the seventh game; and later dropped the opening set from 40-15 up when serving at 5-6.

That said, the teenager's failures to capitalize was just one part of the equation. Ostapenko stuck to her brand of tennis with relentless ballstriking to control the eventual pulse of the contest. She played around with her return positions to keep Gauff guessing, and when push came to shove, backed up her serve when pressured by one of the premier returners on the WTA Tour. The 25-year-old saved seven of the eight break points she faced and her 30th winner, a forehand crosscourt ripper, capped an impressive day at the office.

"I think the main thing before I was still hitting the ball hard, but I was not really stepping in the court," assessed Ostapenko. "Now I feel like I'm stepping much better in the court and taking the ball earlier, so I take time away from the opponents, which makes me more dangerous player."

Said Gauff of her opponent's performance, "I mean, there was moments in the match where I was getting frustrated because I normally can problem-solve, but today I feel like I didn't have much answers to what she was doing."

The 17th-seeded Ostapenko had never been through to the second week of the Happy Slam before this year. She’s now into the last eight at a major for the first time since reaching the semifinals of 2018 Wimbledon. Ostapenko leads Rybakina 2-0 in their head-to-head series.