Coco Gauff of the US returns the ball to Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur during their women’s singles fourth round tennis match on Day 9 of The Roland Garros 2021 French Open tennis tournament in Paris on June 7, 2021. (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU / AFP)
PARIS – American teenager Coco Gauff reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal with a crushing 6-3 6-1 defeat of Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the fourth round of the French Open on Monday.
The 17-year-old capitalized on a nervous start by Jabeur and never let her opponent off the hook in a clinical display.
Jabeur, like Gauff a former junior French Open champion, tried to mix things up with her trademark drop shots but nothing could disrupt her opponent’s flow.
Gauff wrapped up the win in less than an hour on her fourth match point and is yet to drop a set in the tournament.
She will face Czech Barbora Krejcikova, who swept American Sloane Stephens aside 6-2 6-0, for a place in the semis.
“It means a lot to me, especially as I have lost in the fourth round a couple of times so it feels good to get over that hurdle,” 24th seed Gauff told reporters. “Today I played probably my best match so far in the tournament.”
Gauff looked supremely composed throughout and her serving would have done justice to her idol Serena Williams.
She served no double faults and such was the accuracy and power of her serve that Jabeur won only nine points off it.
“I think she never served like this before, and that was her best day today,” 25th seed Jabeur, who matched her run to the fourth round last year, said.
“It was very hard for me to return today. I think she deserved it today, and I will have to get back to work. But, honestly, not really a lot to regret.”
With unseeded Krejcikova the next hurdle for Gauff, the odds on her lifting the title are shortening rapidly.
She has now won nine matches in a row — her longest winning streak on the professional circuit — having claimed her first claycourt title in Parma in the build-up to Roland Garros.
“I just feel like this has been the most consistent tennis I have played at this level. Hopefully, I can keep that going,” she said.