Coco Gauff took her first steps on the ITF junior circuit as a precocious 13-year-old, competing against opponents five years her senior as her contemporaries played among each other. It was not until last summer that she faced a younger opponent, just a few months younger, on the elite women’s tour for the first time.
As Gauff lined up against Mirra Andreeva on Court Suzanne Lenglen, another new experience awaited. Andreeva, the first 16-year-old to reach the third round of a grand slam tournament since Gauff, is three years her junior. The gulf in experience proved a decisive factor as Gauff recovered from a tough first set to return to the fourth round with a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1 victory.
