Coco Gauff beat former finalist Sloane Stephens in straight sets on Tuesday at the French Open to reach her first semi-final at a Grand Slam tournament.
The 18-year-old beat her fellow American 7-5, 6-2 and will play the unseeded Italian Martina Trevisan after she upset the 17th seed Leylah Fernadnez 6-2, 6-7, 6-3.
Gauff, the 18th seed, will go into the encounter as the favourite against the 28-year-old even though Trevisan won their only previous meeting in the second round at the 2020 French Open.
After that success, Trevisan advanced as far as the last eight. Two years later, she stands one match away from a final at a Grand Slam tournament.
"It's an incredible moment for me," said Trevisan. "It was a very difficult match but I did it, so I'm very happy."
Fernandez, who reached the final of the US Open last September struggled with an injury to her right foot during the latter stages of the match.
Injury
But despite her reduced mobility, the 19-year-old Canadian battled on. Trevisan served for the match at 5-1 but fluffed her lines. But she made no mistake at the second time of asking against an increasingly impaired opponent.
Trevisan will encounter far more movement from Gauff in their match on Thursday.
She kept her patience in the long baseline exchanges with Stephens and threw in an array of drop shots. Her service, despite six double faults, proved more solid in the key moments during the 90 minute encounter.
"It obviously wasn't my best day," said Stephens. "I think Coco played a full, complete match and sometimes you just have those days and it was her time and that's really it."
