Coco Gauff keeps Australian Open hopes alive after gritty ...

It is hard to find a tennis player or coach who hasn't read Brad Gilbert's book Winning Ugly since it was published more than 30 years ago.

Drawing upon what he learned during his playing days when he reached a world ranking of four, Gilbert revealed strategies that could be used by both the professional and recreational player.

He stressed successful tennis doesn't have to be aesthetically pleasing – a point he has acknowledged summed him up as a player – but instead built on a range of tactics designed to outsmart an opponent.

Gilbert went on to enjoy a decorated coaching career that included guiding Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick to major titles and the top ranking in men's tennis.

His book still attracts an audience, although there is someone who hasn't flicked through its pages — his current pupil, Coco Gauff.

"I bought a copy but I didn't read it," a smiling Gauff told an Australian Open media conference.

"Maybe I should add it to my reading list … my mum actually got it for me when we were in the talks of just possibly working with Brad and she was like, 'You need to read this'.

"She read it and I didn't read it. But I feel like I got the real version so I don't need a book. But maybe it could help.

"I'll probably do it just to surprise him."

Even though she hasn't read Gilbert's book, Gauff followed its key theme to a tee in her gritty Australian Open quarterfinal win over Marta Kostyuk on Tuesday.

She trailed Kostyuk 1-5 in the first set, before clawing her way back to win a tiebreak, and then lost the second to her Ukrainian opponent on Rod Laver Arena.

Again, Gauff was forced to regroup ahead of the third set but she eventually sealed her first Australian Open semifinal berth with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 triumph after more than three hours on court.

The match statistics did not make pretty reading for Gauff. The world number four posted 51 unforced errors, gave up seven service breaks and committed nine double faults.

Gauff could only manage to hit 17 winners to Kostyuk's 39, yet still found a way to win.

After Gauff's US Open triumph last September, Gilbert — who had only linked up with the 19-year-old in the lead-up to the final major of the season — praised his charge for her "problem-solving" skills after she lost the first set in three of her matches before grinding out a victory.

This included her defeat of Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Gauff admits she grew frustrated during her quarterfinal.(Getty Images: Darrian Traynor)

While she did not lose the first set to Kostyuk, Gauff had to dig herself out of a hole early to keep her Australian Open hopes alive.

"Today was frustrating because I knew how I needed to play. I just couldn't execute," Gauff said.

"Eventually, I was able to find it, which is what I'm proud of.

"But problem-solving is tennis. You could play someone today and maybe a week later they'll play you completely different. It's a part of it.

"At the end of the day you're given a scouting report, but you have to go with feeling and try your best to win. That's what I did today."

Gauff got back on track to win the third set and stay in the Australian Open.(Getty Images: Darrian Traynor)

When behind on the scoreboard in the first set, Gauff knew she had to take it game by game if she was to get on top of Kostyuk.

She had a simple approach: fight as much as possible.

"Obviously, sometimes when you're down 5-1 you're not expecting to win the set," she said.

"I believe every point, every game matters, and eventually the score started to get closer."

You could be mistaken in thinking Gauff's comments were lifted straight from a page in Gilbert's book.

She may not have read Winning Ugly, but she knows what her coach was writing about.