Coco Gauff achieved a breakthrough moment at the Australian Open, reaching her first quarterfinal at Melbourne Park.
The fourth seed has been dominant in her run to the last eight, closing all four matches in straight sets. Gauff has also been one of the quickest to sprint into the quarterfinal, clocking less than five hours of playing time, which is among the lowest at the tournament.
Gauff began her campaign with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. She proceeded to knock out two compatriots - Caroline Dolehide and Alycia Parks - to advance into the second week of the Australian Open for the third time in her career.
But unlike the other two failed attempts, the third time was the charm for the 19-year-old phenom. Gauff lay waste to Magdalena Frech, dropping just three games to book her spot in the quarterfinal. It's no secret that the young American has been the beneficiary of an absolute gift of a draw.
But far from it. It only serves to show that Gauff is an embodiment of grit and mental focus. And while she's been taking a keen interest to see who she will play, she has not taken her eyes off the ultimate prize. Gauff's dominance is further harnessed by attaining two milestones.
She has dropped just 16 games in her run to the quarterfinal, which is the fewest games conceded by a WTA teenager in a Grand Slam tournament to this stage since Kim Clijsters lost a meager ten games at the 2003 Australian Open by the quarterfinals stage.
Clijsters went all the way to the final that year but lost to Gauff's idol, Serena Williams, in three sets. Secondly, Gauff has now equaled Serena and Clijsters for another separate landmark following her fourth-round win over Frech.
She made six quarterfinals at the Grand Slam level as a teenager. Since 2000, only Maria Sharapova has made more (10) appearances. But she remains in illustrious company with the game's greats.
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