For much of the past year, one of Coco Gauff’s clearest goals has been to grow and advance at her own pace, ignoring all of the hype and expectation. But Gauff is 18, a high-school graduate as of just over a week ago, and on Tuesday she moved into her first grand-slam semi-final at the French Open.
With a solid performance under immense pressure, she was too strong for her friend and fellow American Sloane Stephens, winning 7-5, 6-2. Gauff will have an enormous opportunity of reaching the final as she faces the unseeded Martina Trevisan of Italy, who upset Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3 as the Canadian struggled with an injury to her right foot.
