PARIS: Coco Gauff became the youngest Grand Slam quarter-finalist in 15 years on Monday when she defeated Tunisia's Ons Jabeur at the French Open. Gauff, seeded 24, swept to a 53-minute 6-3, 6-1 win and takes on Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic for a place in the semi-finals. At the age of 17 years and 86 days, Gauff is the youngest woman to reach the last eight of a Slam since Nicole Vaidisova who made the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in 2006 aged 17 years and 44 days.
She is also the youngest American woman to book a place in the last eight in Paris since Jennifer Capriati in 1993.
In a composed performance on Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday, the American teenager broke her fellow former junior champion three times without facing a break point herself.
"I am super happy to reach my first Grand Slam quarter-final. I played really well today," said Gauff who has yet to drop a set at the tournament.
"Parma taught me how to close out matches and how to deal with pressure," added the American who also discovered Monday that she had claimed a place on the American team for the Tokyo Olympics.
Krejcikova swats aside Stephens
Big-hitting Czech Barbora Krejcikova powered past former finalist Sloane Stephens of the United States 6-2, 6-0 in their matchup of unseeded players to reach the quarter-finals on Monday.
The 33rd-ranked Krejcikova, who won the 2018 doubles title at Roland Garros with Katerina Siniakov, has been unbeaten since a maiden title-winning run in Strasbourg ahead of the French Open and dominated the 2017 U.S. Open winner from the start on a sun-bathed Suzanne Lenglen court.
Former world number three Stephens, who reached the final in Paris in 2018, did not have any answer to Krejcikova's powerful but effortless play in their first meeting and did not help her cause by committing 26 unforced errors.
The 25-year-old Krejcikova broke the American's serve twice in the opening set and then wiped her out in the second.
The Czech converted her second matchpoint with a forehand winner which was her 10th of the match, and will meet Coco Gauff for a place in the semi-finals. Agencies