The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coco Gauff, now 18, returns to French Open quarterfinals
PARIS — Quite a trip to Paris in the springtime for 18-year-old American Coco Gauff: She celebrated graduating from high school — an achievement saluted via social media by former first lady Michelle Obama — and now is into the French Open quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
How did you spend the past week or so?
Learning as she goes, Gauff took control of a tight opening set against No. 31 seed Elise Mertens, of Belgium, on Sunday and grabbed the last eight games to pull away for a 6-4, 6-0 victory in the fourth round at Roland Garros. “You’re never going to play your best tennis in a Slam every moment of the match, but I think I’m getting better and better,” said Gauff, the former Atlanta resident who is seeded 18th at the clay-court major tournament, “and I think, mentally, I can’t ask for much more from myself in each match.”
Next is a match against Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion and 2018 French Open runner-up, or No. 23 seed Jil Teichmann, of Switzerland. The other quarterfinal on the bottom half of the draw is a meeting between lefthanders: No. 17 Leylah Fernandez against 59th-ranked Martina Trevisan, of Italy, who also got to the quarterfinals in Paris two years ago. Fernandez compiled more than twice as many winners, 35, as unforced errors, 17, and broke serve a half-dozen times to beat 20-year-old American Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Trevisan beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-6 (10), 7-5.
“Every time I step out on the court, I still have something to prove,” said Fernandez, who was ranked 73rd last September when she beat Naomi Osaka on the way to being runner-up to Emma Raducanu at Flushing Meadows. “I still have that mindset I’m the underdog. I’m still young.”
Gauff, of course, is even younger. In 2021, she was the youngest French Open quarterfinalist in 15 years, but frittered away five set points in the opener of a loss to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova. That stuck with her Sunday, when she was in a backand-forth first set against Mertens that was 4-all before Gauff got going. Afterward, she praised herself for staying calm in the moment.
Gauff burst onto the scene at Wimbledon in 2019 when she was 15 by becoming the youngest — yes, there’s that word again — qualifier in tournament history, beating Venus Williams in the first round of the main draw and getting all the way to the fourth. Other Week 2 runs at major tournaments have followed, although she’s prouder of her success with schoolwork.
Defending champ Novak Djokovic reached his record 16th career French quarterfinal. Djokovic won 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 over Diego Schwartzman. Rafael Nadal edged Felix Auger-aliassime 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a record 59th matchup against Djokovic.
Third seed Alexander Zverev is into his fourth French Open quarterfinal with a 7-6 (11), 7-5, 6-3 win over Bernabe Zapata Miralles. Zverev will play Carlos Alcaraz or Karen Khachanov in the quarters.