Image Source: The Times
Coco Gauff drowned out the din to reach her first grand slam final at the French Open.
The American teenager, who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon as a 15-year-old in 2019, defeated Martina Trevisan of Italy 6-3, 6-1.
Gauff, who is 18 years old, put up a mature performance and will face top seed Iga Swiatek, who is 20 years old, in the final.
Gauff stated, “Right now, I’m in a state of shock.”
During her post-match interview, Gauff recalled losing to Marina two years ago, while acknowledging what a tough opponent she is, especially on clay.
Gauff continued her calm, mature, and at times inspirational approach to being probed this fortnight by scrawling ‘peace, end gun violence now’ on the camera lens as she walked from the court.
“I’m in the mindset that I’ll be pleased no matter what,” she concluded. Yes, it’s a grand slam final, but the globe, particularly in the United States, is in turmoil. I don’t believe that worrying about a tennis match is necessary.”
Gauff’s biggest stumbling block appeared to be Trevisan’s distinctive post-shot cries, and in only the second game, she complained to chair umpire Marijana Veljovic, claiming, “when I’m hitting it, she’s still screaming.”
Although it had little influence on the ruckus on the other side of the net, Gauff was unconcerned. When she questioned a line call, the whistling from the Paris audience didn’t help.
Gauff’s victory, which came despite misfiring a number of serves and a total of 36 unforced errors, means a high-profile final has emerged from the ashes of the women’s tournament which has seen nine of the top ten seeded athletes eliminated by the end of the first week.
Swiatek, the apparently unstoppable world number one, awaits in what promises to be a thrilling match on Saturday afternoon.
