​Coco Hauf was one game away from being eliminated from the 2023 Tournament of Champions, but the American athlete finally managed to beat Marketa Vondrousova and advance to the semifinals.

Coco Gauff in the semi-finals of the 2023 Tournament of Champions

The favorite for 3 events in Cancun (Mexico), Gauff won after two and a half hours of play (the match was interrupted several times due to rain) with the score 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3.

Coco came back from two breaks in the first set (0-3) but lost her serve again at 5-5 and Marketa (2023 Wimbledon champion) won the first set.

Gauff (2023 US Open winner) led 4-1 and 5-3 in the second set, but Vondrousova won three straight games to reach a service position to win (6-5). Koko did not give in under pressure, played aggressively and the set reached a tie-break, where the American won the match with a score of 7-4.

At just 19 years of age, Gauff dictated the pace in the deciding set, never dropping a serve and returning twice to win 6-3.

Coco Gauff will meet her doubles partner Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. They have met three times in official competition, and Pegula leads 2-1.

The result of the match between Coco Gauff and Marketa Vondrousova

Tournament of Champions 2023, semi-finals

Jessica Pegula (5) – Coco Gauf (3)

Aryna Sabalenko (1) – Iga Svyatek (2).

The 2023 Tournament of Champions takes place from October 29 to November 5 on hard court in Cancun, Mexico. Its total prize pool is $9,000,000, starting with the top eight players of the season, and the reigning champion is Caroline Garcia (she did not qualify for this year’s edition).