PARIS — Ten days after celebrating her high school graduation with cap-and-gown photos snapped in front of the Eiffel Tower, Coco Gauff secured her first trip to a Grand Slam semifinal Tuesday by ousting fellow American Sloane Stephens, 7-5, 6-2, at the French Open.
At French Open, Coco Gauff graduates to her first Grand Slam semifinal
Tuesday on its biggest stage, Court Philippe-Chatrier, Gauff was in command from the start against the 29-year-old Stephens, the U.S. Open champion in 2017 and the French Open runner-up in 2018.
Gauff, the No. 18 seed, has yet to concede a set in the tournament and next faces unseeded Italian Martina Trevisan, a 28-year-old who advanced to her first Grand Slam semifinal by toppling 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 6-7 (7-3), 6-3.
Though 11 years of age apart, Gauff and Stephens are friends and frequent supporters of each other on social media. They had met on court just once before, with Stephens scoring a straight-sets victory at the U.S. Open last year.
In Tuesday’s reprise, Gauff bolted to an early 3-0 lead. In the second set, leading 3-1, Gauff went through a rough patch with her serve. Rather than let it unsettle her, she got more aggressive and creative with her ground game, varying her tactics and pace to disrupt Stephens until she reclaimed the momentum.
Though Gauff double-faulted six times, she was the steadier competitor, committing 23 unforced errors to Stephens’s 31.
“She’s athletic, she’s super confident, she’s a great player,” Stephens said, having predicted Gauff’s success after first seeing her play as a 10-year-old. “Obviously you can see someone and look at them and watch them and tell they have whatever it takes to be a top player.”
During her on-court interview afterward, Gauff was asked about her high school graduation, and she chose to speak directly to young fans and players.
“No matter how good or bad my career is, I think I’m a great person, and that’s a message to all young players,” she said. “Your results or your job or how much money you make doesn’t define you as a person. As long as you love yourself, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”
Fernandez, 19, appeared to injure her right ankle during the first set against Trevisan and summoned the trainer, but she played on. Afterward, tournament officials announced the No. 17 seed would not take part in her post-match media obligations on the advice of her medical team, but in a statement released by the tournament on her behalf she called the outcome “hard luck.”
“I did feel [the foot issue] before the match, but I didn’t think much of it,” she said. “It just happened, and we are just going to have to learn from this.”
On Wednesday, 11th-seeded Jessica Pegula, the only other American still standing, will try to join Gauff in the semifinals. Pegula, 28, faces a huge hurdle in top-seeded Iga Swiatek. They split two previous meetings, both on hard courts.
Source: WP
