Coco Gauff broke fresh ground at the Indian Wells Masters as she reached the last eight for the first time after a comeback battle with Rebecca Peterson on Tuesday.
The sixth-seeded teenager was given a big test by the Swedish qualifier, with Gauff finally emerging with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 victory after more than two hours.
The American swept the final four games to deny Peterson a third career win over a Top 10 opponent.
“Rebecca’s not an easy opponent. I played her in one of my first pro tournaments … and she whooped me pretty bad,” Gauff said.
“Today, it was just a mental thing, staying in the match. I wasn’t playing my best in some moments and wasn’t serving as well as I’d like to, but I think my mentality kept me in today.
“[The crowd] helped me, were cheering for me even after the second set, were rooting for me every step of the way.”
The No. 103-ranked Peterson failed to become the first Swedish woman to move to the quarter-finals of a 1000-level tournament.
