Less than two week after graduating from high school, 18-year-old Coco Gauff reached a new height in her tennis career.
The No. 18 player reached her first Grand Slam final at the French Open when she took down 59th-ranked Martina Trevisan with a 6-3, 6-1 victory. Gauff will play against No. 1 Iga Swiatek for the championship on Saturday.
She is the youngest woman to reach a Grand Slam final since Maria Sharapova in 2004, who reached the Wimbledon championship at age 17, according to ESPN. She’s the youngest American to get to a major final since Serena Williams reached the U.S. Open championship game in 1999, also at the age of 17.
Both of the then-teenagers won their respective tournament, with Williams taking down Martina Hingis in 1999 and Sharapova knocking off Williams, who in 2004 was the two-time defending Wimbledon champion.
Gauff also reached the doubles finals on Friday. She and teammate Jessica Pegula took down Madison Keys and Taylor Townsend 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). The pair will match up for the championship against Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic on Sunday.
Gauff rose to prominence in 2019 when, at the age of 15, she defeated Venus Williams at Wimbledon.
Since, she has continued to improve and she remains a recognizable figure in the tennis world. Former First Lady Michelle Obama quote-tweeted Gauff after her French Open semifinals win:
Congrats, @CocoGauff! I'm so proud of you, and I will be rooting for you all the way! 🎾👏🏾 https://t.co/S9zbCh0Bxz
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 3, 2022
