Gauff functioned superbly to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Ons Jabeur on Monday
A day after Serena Williams was removed from the French Open, 17-year-old Coco Gauff revealed the future in tennis for American girls is bright.
Gauff functioned superbly to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Ons Jabeur on Monday.
Gauff lost only nine points on her serve and was also exceptionally effective at the web, winning 13 of 17 points when she came forward — that was especially impressive against a participant who is known for her shot-making abilities.
“I really feel like that was the most constant tennis I’ve played at this level,” Gauff said.
Gauff also had a fast match in the preceding round, when Jennifer Brady retired with an injured left foot after Gauff won the opening set.
Jabeur said Gauff is a contender to elevate the trophy — either this year or later on.
“If she’s not going to win it today, she is probably going to win another time,” the Tunisian said.
It would not be the first time Gauff asserts a title at Roland Garros, having won the girls’ singles title in 2018.
Gauff will will next face Barbora Krejcikova, who also reached her first quarterfinal at a significant by beating 2018 French Open runner-up Sloane Stephens using a similarly lopsided score — 6-2, 6-0.
“She’s young, she’s amazing, she is coming up. She is going to be the next celebrity,” Krejcikova stated of Gauff.
Later, 22-year-old Sofia Kenin was to face 17th-seeded Maria Sakkari with the other spot in the last eight on the line.
Kenin is the highest-seeded lady left from the women’s draw at No. 4. The American lost last season’s final at Roland Garros into Iga Swiatek, that matches Marta Kostyuk at the night game on Court Philippe Chatrier.
On Sunday, the 39-year-old Williams dropped to Elena Rybakina 6-3, 7-5.
Gauff already announced herself as a competition to become the upcoming great American participant when she made a rush to the fourth round at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old qualifier a couple of years ago. Now, having gone one step farther, she became the youngest American to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal because Venus Williams did it 17 in the 1997 U.S. Open.
“I’m just going to be 17 once, so you might also talk about it while I’m 17,” Gauff explained.
Gauff hasn’t dropped a place in Paris this year. That came after a run to the semifinals of the Italian Open.
In all, she’s on a career-best nine-match winning series.
“Parma gave me a lot of confidence, especially on the clay,” Gauff said. “It taught me a lot about ways to close out matches and deal with the pressure on important points.”
It has been a breakthrough in singles to its 25-year-old Krejcikova, who won her first WTA title in Strasbourg from the buildup to the French Open. Her victory over Stephens on Court Suzanne Lenglen expanded her current winning streak to nine matches.
Until today, Krejcikova was mainly known for her doubles accomplishments. She’s a former No. 1 in the specialty, and it has won two Grand Slam titles with teammate Katerina Siniakova. They perform in the doubles quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Stephens committed 26 unforced errors against Krejcikova.
In the men’s draw, both Rafael Nadal and top-ranked Novak Djokovic were playing Italian teens later. Nadal, a 13-time winner, was up against 18th-seeded Jannik Sinner, who is hoping to reach the quarterfinals on the red clay for the second consecutive year in his second appearance at Roland Garros.
Djokovic’s opponent, the unexperienced however highly-rated Lorenzo Musetti, is playing in a Grand Slam event for the first time. By comparison, the two Djokovic and Nadal are hoping to make it to the quarterfinals of this clay-court important for the 15th time.
