MELBOURNE – In his van where he used to live, the legendary rock climber Alex Honnold had a hangboard. It’s a contraption which climbers hang from to strengthen their fingers in preparation for the tiny holds on a rock wall. Maybe Coco Gauff has one of those in her house because when it comes to hanging on for dear life she’s seriously tough.
On Tuesday on Rod Laver Arena, the sun was up, sweat fell, errors rained, 188 minutes passed and grit won. Gauff wasn’t great but she was worthy. She wasn’t her best self yet she won her Australian Open quarter-final over Marta Kostyuk 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (3-7), 6-2.
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