Recent high school graduate Coco Gauff makes deep run at French Open

by VINCENT DAVIS

Eighteen-year-old Coco Gauff takes the clay court of the Roland Garros venue in Paris, France today at the French Open, facing Martina Trevisan of Italy in their women’s singles semifinals match.

The winner advances to Saturday’s championship. The prize money for the eventual singles champion is $3.35 million. The runner up will receive $1.68 million.

The French Open, the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held on clay courts, is the second of the Grand Slam tournaments on the WTA’s schedule, following the Australian Open held in late January. Wimbledon is next beginning at the end of this month and the U.S. Open will take place in August at its customary location, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens.

Gauff’s journey to semifinals featured victories over fellow American Sloane Stephens on Tuesday and Belgium’s Elise Mertens on Sunday. Stephens, 29, who lost in the French Open finals in 2018, fell to the No. 18 seeded Gauff, 7-5, 6-2 in a 90-minute match.

Trevisan, ranked No. 59 in the world, has won her last 10 matches including French Open victories over Canadian Harriet Dart, Magda Linette of Poland, Australian Daria Gavrilova, Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Canadian Leylah Anne Fernandez.

Gauff, who just graduated from high school last month, and who also excels in doubles, reached the quarterfinals of last year’s French Open, losing to singles champion Barbora Krejčíková. Gauff said her character is what matters more than her performance.

“No matter how good or how bad my career is, I think I’m a great person,” she said after a win over her good friend Stephens. “And that’s a message to all young players. Your results, or your job, or how much money you make doesn’t define you as a person. As long as you love yourself, who cares what anyone else thinks.”

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Sonya Mallard

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