Coco Gauff is another step closer to the 2023 Roland Garros final after beating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
Last year, the young American was stopped in the final of the second Grand Slam of the season, and this year, she has her eyes on the trophy. But a difficult path paved her way to the final as she had to beat 16-year-old prodigy Mirra Andreeva along the way, and met an inspired Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the fourth round.
The Slovak player was yet to lose a set in Paris this year, but in their only meeting on the WTA Tour, Gauff bested Schmiedlova last year in Madrid and she wanted to follow up on that win with a positive showing on the Parisian clay.
Gauff started the match in the best possible way by breaking her opponent's serve to love and confirming that break with a hold of serve. She lost only three points in her first three service games and after another break, she led already 5-2.
But the sixth seed couldn't finish the set off on her serve on her first try, and the second try wasn't any better with the World No. 100 levelling the score at five games each.
Yet, the end of the set was Gauff's. She won the last two games to take the first set, winning it 7-5. She used that momentum to break early on also in the second set, but Schmiedlova was able to respond and led 2-1.
Little did the Slovak know that it was the last game that she managed to win as Gauff won the following five games to win the match 7-5, 6-2 and advance to the third consecutive quarterfinals at the Roland Garros.
Although she said that she doesn't like to be praised because of her age, Gauff is the youngest player to play three consecutive quarterfinals at a Grand Slam since Maria Sharapova played them at Wimbledon between 2004 and 2006.
In her next round, the teenager will await the winner of the match between the top-seeded Iga Swiatek or Lesia Tsurenko, and if the Pole wins, the match may likely be a night session on the Court Philippe-Chatrier, even if the American said that no one really wants that spot.
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