Tuesday on its largest stage, Court Philippe-Chatrier, Gauff was in command from the beginning in opposition to the 29-year-old Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion and the French Open runner-up in 2018.
Gauff, the No. 18 seed, has but to concede a set within the event and subsequent faces unseeded Italian Martina Trevisan, a 28-year-old who superior to her first Grand Slam semifinal by toppling 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 6-7 (7-3), 6-3.
Though 11 years of age aside, Gauff and Stephens are associates and frequent supporters of one another on social media. They had met on court docket simply as soon as earlier than, with Stephens scoring a straight-sets victory on the U.S. Open final yr.
In Tuesday’s reprise, Gauff bolted to an early 3-0 lead. In the second set, main 3-1, Gauff went via a tough patch along with her serve. Rather than let it unsettle her, she acquired extra aggressive and inventive along with her floor sport, various her techniques and tempo to disrupt Stephens till she reclaimed the momentum.
Though Gauff double-faulted six instances, she was the steadier competitor, committing 23 unforced errors to Stephens’s 31.
“She’s athletic, she’s super confident, she’s a great player,” Stephens stated, having predicted Gauff’s success after first seeing her play as a 10-year-old. “Obviously you can see someone and look at them and watch them and tell they have whatever it takes to be a top player.”
During her on-court interview afterward, Gauff was requested about her highschool commencement, and he or she selected to converse straight to younger followers and gamers.
“No matter how good or bad my career is, I think I’m a great person, and that’s a message to all young players,” she stated. “Your results, or your job or how much money you make doesn’t define you as a person. As long as you love yourself, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”
Fernandez, 19, appeared to injure her proper ankle in the course of the first set in opposition to Trevisan and summoned the coach, however she performed on. Afterward, event officers introduced the No. 17 seed wouldn’t participate in her post-match media obligations on the recommendation of her medical group, however in an announcement launched by the event on her behalf she referred to as the end result “hard luck.”
“I did feel [the foot issue] before the match, but I didn’t think much of it,” she stated. “It just happened, and we are just going to have to learn from this.”
On Wednesday, Eleventh-seeded Jessica Pegula, the one different American nonetheless standing, will attempt to be part of Gauff within the semifinals. Pegula, 28, faces an enormous hurdle in top-seeded Iga Swiatek. They cut up two earlier conferences, each on laborious courts.
