She’s a young legend in the making!
17-year-old Coco Gauff has broken another record this week at the 2021 French Open, winning against Ons Jabeur in just 53 minutes with a 6-3; 6-1 win. She has now become the youngest woman to reach a grand slam quarterfinal since Nicole Vaidisova in 2006, CNN Sports reports.
The young tennis phenom is also the youngest American to reach the quarterfinal since Venus Williams at the 1997 US Open. She dominated Jabeaur, winning in the first and second sets to walk away victorious. However, she spoke about still being in a state of learning, despite her victories, especially on the clay courts at Roland Garros.
“I’m going to always still be learning no matter how many matches I win. But for me, it’s just being patient. And shot selection, I think, is really important on clay because you’re not going to have too many outright winners on clay just because it’s slower and gives more time for your opponent to get the ball,” Gauff said.
She added, “I think clay is probably the surface you can use the whole court the most. I think it’s important that I continue to mix up how I play, so my opponents don’t really know what to expect.”
The teen has been doing exceptionally well on the court, a fact that’s not lost on her at all.
“I feel like all my matches have been — I don’t know how to say it, but straightforward wins, like no crazy three sets and stuff. As we know, I have had a lot of those in the past. I just feel like this has been the most consistent tennis I have played at this level. Hopefully, I can keep that going,” Gauff said.
She will go on to face Czech native Barbora Krejcikova in the next round.
Congratulations, Coco!!
Photo Courtesy of The Boston Globe