Coco Gauff Emulates A Feat Last Achieved By Serena Williams in 2001
WTA
Coco Gauff has reprised another of Serena Williams' feats from over two decades ago after her passage into the 2023 US Open semifinal.
Gauff thrashed Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-2 to book her spot into the last four of the US Open for the first time. Two days earlier, Gauff became the first American teenager to reach back-to-back quarterfinals since Serena Williams more than two decades ago.
And now she's managed to emulate another of her childhood hero's achievements from the past. She's now the first American teenager to reach the US Open semifinals since Serena in 2001. If that is also a good omen, Gauff could be finals-bound, as the legendary Williams reached the final that year losing to sister Venus.
Gauff has a lot of momentum on her side ahead of her clash against Karolina Muchova. Speaking to the media after her win over Ostapenko, Gauff said it was an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as a player she regards the greatest of all time.
"Oh, it means a lot to me. I mean, being in any sentence with her is great. I mean, she's the greatest player of all time. You know, I'm nothing close to that yet. I'm just really honored to be in the same sentence as her."
"Like I said, I never take it for granted. She's my idol. I think if you told me when I was younger that I would be in these same stat lines as her, I would freak out. I'm still trying not to think about it a lot, because I don't want to get my head big or add pressure, but it is a cool moment to have that stat alongside her."
If Gauff ends up winning the tournament, she'll end up as the first American teenager since Serena Williams in 1999 to win the US Open and will rise to a new career-high of World No. 3.
