Since dropping the opening set in her Cincinnati opener, Coco Gauff has been on the charge. Literally.

The No. 4 seed has won six straight sets after a 6-2, 6-2 victory over No. 10 seed Marta Kostyuk on Friday night sent her through to the semifinals. The run has largely come from a surge in confidence, but it’s also the product of a tactical shift that has her coming forward more than she has in the past.

Cincinnati: Scores | Order of play | Draws

“I didn’t realize how good I was at it until Wimbledon,” Gauff told reporters. “Everyone has been telling me to come to the net more. Actually, Chris Evert has been texting me sometimes to come to the net more. And I tell her yeah, I’m going to, and then I just don’t. I finally did at Wimbledon and I won so many points that way. 

“And obviously here, there’s just a big difference when you’re able to finish the point at the net.”

That was evident in the 70 minutes it took Gauff to put away Kostyuk. She moved forward repeatedly, and that — along with six breaks of serve and just five points lost behind her first serve — powered her win. Gauff is now 4-2 against Kostyuk on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.

Seven points tell the tale

Gauff leads 1-0, 0-15 (First set): Gauff began instilling her tactics early, with a nice pickup in the second game that she deposited onto the other side of the net for a winner. After a three-deuce game, she converted her second break point for a 2-0 lead.

Gauff leads 5-1: The American, a former doubles World No. 1, showed why with her quick reflexes, negating a surefire crosscourt forehand winner from Kostyuk by positioning her racket in the ball’s path and knocking it over the net for her second break.

Gauff leads 5-2, 0-30: After being broken while attempting to serve out the set, Gauff made sure she wouldn’t need a second try. With her trademark athleticism on display, she made two scrambling gets before sending back a forehand Kostyuk couldn’t handle. Two points later, she broke for a third time to take the first set.

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Gauff leads 2-0, 40-15 (Second set): They say defense wins championships, and if this point was any indication, the other semifinalists need to watch out. In the best imitation of the Wii tennis meme, Gauff and Kostyuk traded volleys, with Gauff’s final touch setting up game point. She converted to consolidate her break for 3-0.

Gauff leads 3-0, 30-30: Kostyuk had the best shot of the exchange with the tweener, but while she racked up style points, the one that mattered went to Gauff. After her own forehand descended the point into chaos, Gauff ultimately returned the tweener with another volley winner.

Gauff leads 3-0, 40-Ad: A few points later, Gauff finished a 10-shot rally with a sliding retrieval that she sent from the doubles alley to the opposite side of the court for a trademark Gauff winner. She didn’t convert the break point that followed, but she broke on her third opportunity in another three-deuce game for a 4-0 lead.

Gauff wins 6-2, 6-2: Fittingly, in a match where the World No. 4 showcased a new bag of tricks, she went back to the classics on the final point. She finished her straight-sets win with her sixth break, hitting a backhand return winner to reach the semifinals.

What it means

Gauff becomes the fourth player in the Open Era to reach multiple Cincinnati Open semifinals before turning 23, joining Linda Tuero, Vera Zvonareva and Evonne Goolagong. Among active full-time players, only Iga Swiatek (24) and Aryna Sabalenka (21) have made more WTA 1000 semifinals than Gauff (17).

She’ll next face Sara Bejlek — fresh off a comeback win over Madison Keys — in what is set to be their first professional meeting.

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“She’s such an athletic, fast player. She really makes you earn every point and (she’s) a fighter,” Gauff said. “It’s going to be a tough match because I feel like we have some similarities movement-wise. I’m looking forward to it.”