Tennis: Coco Gauff dominates Danka Kovinic to reach ASB Classic final

Coco Gauff is through to the ASB Classic final. Photo / Photosport

Coco Gauff continues to play to her No 1 seeding in Auckland, cruising into the ASB Classic final with a straight-sets win over Danka Kovinic.

The American teenager toppled her counterpart from Montenegro 6-0, 6-2 in an hour and 14 minutes on Saturday afternoon, in what was a rare appearance on centre court in a weather-impacted week.

In doing so, Gauff became the first ASB Classic women’s finalist since Venus Williams in 2015 to earn her place in the final without dropping a set.

“I’m glad I was able to play in front of you guys finally,” Gauff said to the crowd during her post-match interview with Sky.

Coco Gauff is through to the ASB Classic final. Photo / Photosport

”It was really good on my behalf. Danka played really well, today I was just playing good. She showed fight at the end and I wish her all the best in Australia.”

Often looking to place the ball deep in the court and attack from the net, Gauff might not have had as much success with that game plan as she would have liked, with Kovinic playing several nice passing shots.

However, it brought a variety to her approach to the match in which she was able to find several shots and place her serves well on the rare occasion she found herself in some trouble.

It was a bit of a rocky start from the 18-year-old world No 7, facing two break points in her first service game of the match. But after seeing those off she settled into her rhythm and began to attack the Kovinic second serve with intent.

Capitalising on her first break point of the game, Gauff raced out to a two-game lead in the first set and could not be stopped. Needing just 28 minutes to claim the first six games, Gauff capitalised on a high first-serve percentage and converted three of five first-set break points.

The second set looked to follow suit as she won the first game with ease before breaking an increasingly frustrated Kovinic again.

Kovinic broke Gauff right back in the next game, but was unable to consolidate that and ultimately Gauff closed out an impressive win.

Gauff will face unheralded Spaniard Rebeka Masarova in the final, who beat fellow qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure 6-3, 6-3 in 67 minutes.

It wasn’t the highest quality affair – with world No 95 Bonaventure plagued by unforced errors – but the result continued a spectacular week for Masarova.

The world 130 shocked 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round, then eliminated former Wimbledon semifinalist Karolina Muchova in Friday’s semifinal in a gripping match.Masarova has relied on a big serve and consistent power off the baseline, with her backhand particularly impressive.

She hit the heights as a teenager, winning the Junior French Open in 2016 and making the Junior Australian Open decider a year later, but has struggled to translate that success since joining the tour.