Coco Gauff Stands On Tall Shoulders As First Teen To Reach Final 4 Since Serena Williams

As a young teenager, Coco Gauff is touted as a future tennis phenom, expecting to reach and win multiple Grand Slams and championships. At 19, she earned her very first trip to the semifinals at the U.S. Open on Sept. 5, thus making her the first teenager to reach the final four since another phenom, Serena Williams, did so over 20 years ago in 2001.

According to The Associated Press, Gauff defeated her opponent, Jelena Ostapenko, 6-0, 6-2, to advance toward winning the U.S. Open. Gauff lost to Ostapenko earlier this year in January at the Australian Open.

This was the 16th match she had won out of her 17 contests. On Thursday, she will have the chance to proceed to the finals when she goes up against the 10th-seeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.

The No. 6 ranked Gauff said, “Even though (by) the semifinals, (in) theory, if you want to win, there are two matches left, you can’t think like that. I’m still in the mindset that I’m in the beginning of the tournament. That’s what I have learned in the past (from) being in quarterfinals: Before, I would think, ‘Close to the end.’ But right now, I have the mentality that I told myself, ‘I still have another two weeks to play.’ So that’s where my mind is at. Then, obviously, when it’s over, it’s over. But right now, I’m just saying, ‘Another two weeks.’”

Muchova and Gauff met just last month for a match at the Cincinnati Open. Gauff defeated her upcoming opponent in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) to take home the biggest title of her career. The tennis player’s year has been a good one so far. This summer, outside of winning the Cincinnati Open, she has also won the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., and reached the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open.

Now, all eyes will be on Gauff again as she attempts to be the first Black player to win the U.S. Open since Naomi Osaka in 2020.