She is only 18 years old and already has a grand slam final. World No. 23 Coco Gauff of the United States advanced to the French Open final by defeating No. 59 Martina Trevisan of Italy 6-3, 6-1. The match lasted an hour and twenty-eight. She is the youngest finalist on clay in Paris since Kim Clijsters in 2001 and the youngest finalist of a Major since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004. But on Saturday she will face the world number one, who did not than a bite from Russian Daria Kasatkina (20th) earlier Thursday: 6-2, 6-1 in an hour four.
“I’m in shock…I have no words to express how I feel,” said the American, who hasn’t dropped a set in the tournament in six matches. “I wasn’t very nervous… A little this morning, but I went for a walk and it relaxed me,” she said.
The score is severe for the 28-year-old Italian, but she committed too many unforced errors (36) to really doubt her opponent, titled at Roland-Garros in juniors in 2018.
As for the looming final, Gauff approaches it with carelessness: “I’m going to go there thinking it’s just another game,” she said. Another game not quite like the others.
Earlier in the afternoon, world number one Iga Swiatek, a surprise 2020 winner, swept 20th-placed Daria Kasatkina of Russia 6-2, 6-1 in an hour and four. “After my first success, there was the Covid and I couldn’t see how many people there were supporting me,” the Polish woman told the crowd after this victory which qualified her for the second major final of his career.
Facing Kasatkina, Swiatek chained a 34th victory in a row to equal Serena Williams’ streak in 2013, one length from Venus Williams’ record at Linz 2000, the best streak of the century.
