Third seed Coco Gauff and eighth seed Mirra Andreeva took different paths to meet in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, considered the most anticipated of the tournament.
Gauff saved a match point late in the second set before defeating fellow American Iva Jovic, while Andreeva enjoyed a smoother ride with a convincing win over Elise Mertens.
"Somehow, I managed to get through it," Gauff said after the match, as quoted by the WTA website on Tuesday.
"I think he probably lowers his game a little bit when he's ahead."
Jovic, 18, the 16th seed, has risen rapidly in the rankings in recent months, with his performance in the round of 16 proving the point.
He came back from a break down to win the first set 7-5.
In the second set, she again came back from an early break down to lead 5-3, but Gauff refused to give up.
Gauff saved match point and capitalized on her third break point opportunity in the crucial 10th game.
Jovic then needed a medical timeout to treat his finger, and Gauff capitalized by winning the next three games to take the second set 7-5, forcing a third set.
