Coco Gauff seals her first trip to the US Open quarterfinals after defeating Zhang Shuai

American starlet Coco Gauff booked her place in the US open quarterfinals with a straight set win over China’s Zhang Shuai. 

The 18-year-old wagged her finger and showed the prowess that made her a US Open championship contender in a 7-5, 7-5 win over Zhang Shuai. 

Gauff had to dig deep to produce a win over Zhang in a match up of the youngest and oldest players remaining in the women’s singles. 

The 18-year-old became a US Open contender in a 7-5, 7-5 win over Zhang Shuai (pictured)

Gauff wagged her finger like Dikembe Mutombo’s signature move when leading the second set

The 12th-seeded American tailed Zhang, 5-3 in the second set, which she was a point from losing, but broke her 33-year-old opponent twice en route to four straight games to clinch the victory. 

Buoyed by spectators who cheered her every point, chanted ‘Let´s go, Coco!’ as the end neared and prompted Zhang to cover her ears with her hands, Gauff improved to 4-0 in Ashe this year. She’d never previously won a match at the biggest arena in Grand Slam tennis.

Gauff had the New York crowd firmly on her side and fans erupted in the third set when she wagged her finger like Dikembe Mutombo’s signature move after she went up 6-5 in the second set. 

The No. 12 seed tailed Zhang, 5-3 in the second set, but broke her 33-year-old opponent twice

Zhang her ears because of the noise from the home crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium

‘It feels insane. I mean, Ashe Stadium chanting my name?’ Gauff, yet to drop a set in the tournament, said during her on-court interview. ‘I was trying not to smile on the bench on the changeover. I was trying to stay in the moment.

The 18-year-old Gauff is in the US Open quarterfinals for the first time in her career and will play France’s Caroline Garcia. Gauff is the youngest American woman to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Melanie Oudin was 17 in 2009. 

Both Gauff and Zhang competed mostly from the baseline, trading powerful groundstrokes, especially on the backhand side, which both players favor. 

And the longer the exchanges, the more success Gauff found: She claimed 45 points that lasted five or more strokes, while Zhang won 26 of those.

Now the 12th-seeded Gauff will move on to face No. 17 Caroline Garcia of France, who is playing as well as anyone at the moment, coming off a hard-court title at Cincinnati right before play began in New York.

Garcia eliminated No. 29 Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-4, 6-1 to, like, Gauff, earn her debut berth in the US Open quarterfinals.