ASB Classic: Defending champ Gauff beats 16-year-old Fruhvirtova to reach quarters
The top seeded American will play Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva, the No 8 seed, for a place in the semis
American Coco Gauff, the top seed, reached the quarter-finals of the ASB Classic in Auckland on Thursday after a win over Czech qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtova.
Gauff, who is aiming to win the same title two years in a row for the first time in her young career, needed one hour and 10 minutes for the 6-3, 6-0 over the 16-year-old.
The win was the seventh in a row for Gauff in Auckland, all coming in straight sets, and she has dropped only nine games in her first two matches of the new season.
The American, ranked No 3 in the world and winner of the most recent Grand Slam – the US Open, will play Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva, the No 8 seed, next.
In the previous round, the 19-year-old American beat Claire Liu (6-4, 6-2) while Fruhvirtova, ranked No 117, won against Russian Anna Blinkova (7-5, 6-4) in the first round after coming through the qualifying draw.
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