Coco Gauff is back in the French Open quarterfinals, and her journey keeps getting better. With a fourth-round win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 21-year-old has now reached her ninth Grand Slam quarterfinal. Her performance on clay in Paris has been one of remarkable consistency. She’s made the quarterfinals or better every year. This year marks her fifth consecutive quarterfinal appearance at the French Open. While Gauff is making waves on the court, she’s also finding herself in star-studded company off it.
TNT Sports is covering the French Open for the first time as the U.S. rights-holder, and they’ve brought in big names. Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams are part of a high-profile broadcast team that includes former World No. 1s Lindsay Davenport and Caroline Wozniacki. While Stephens is currently recovering from a foot injury, Venus is making her commentary debut.
The image of Gauff sitting next to two of her biggest inspirations was more than just another panel. It was a celebration of three generations of trailblazing Black American women in tennis. Gauff even shared a sweet story about Stephens that brought smiles all around. The 2017 US Open champion was a guest at little Coco Gauff’s birthday party.
“It feels surreal. Venus is someone I looked up to for a long time, and Sloane too. I remember hitting with Sloane when I was like 8 years old. I had a birthday party at maybe 10 or 11.. she surprised me and showed up. I felt like the coolest kid ever having her come. Just to be alongside the two of them is very cool. To have that moment wasn’t something I was expecting. Very honored that they were both enthusiastic for me to be there. Honestly, I was just probably more excited, too,” the 21-year-old said.
Coco Gauff on being at the TNT desk with Venus Williams & Sloane Stephens, ‘Venus is someone I looked up to for a long time, & Sloane too… I had a birthday party at 10 or 11 & she surprised me & showed up’
“I wanted to ask you about that moment you had with Venus and Sloane.… pic.twitter.com/f5RhR5N0Nc
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 2, 2025
Years later, Coco Gauff found herself in another surreal situation: facing Stephens for the first time in their careers. It was the second round of the U.S. Open, but the match didn’t go Gauff’s way. Stephens won 6-4, 6-2 in just 66 minutes. But Gauff turned the tables in 2022 at Roland Garros. She defeated Stephens 7-5, 6-2 to make her first Grand Slam semifinal. That was also the year she finished as the runner-up in Paris.
While Stephens and Gauff have a childhood connection, Venus was the first WTA opponent Gauff ever faced. At just 15 years old and ranked No. 313, Gauff stunned Venus with a 6-4, 6-4 win on Centre Court at Wimbledon. She had already made history as the youngest qualifier in the Open Era to reach the main draw at the All England Club.
And now, she’s matching the 7-time Grand Slam champion’s records on the court.
Coco Gauff matches Venus Williams’s record after epic French Open win
Coco Gauff started strong against 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, winning the first set 6-0. But things got tight in the second set. Alexandrova raised her level, even erasing a break. Gauff, however, steadied herself and closed out the win 6-0, 7-5 in 1 hour and 22 minutes.
With that win, the World No.2 has etched her name in the record books again. At 21 years and 73 days old, she’s now the youngest woman to reach five or more singles quarterfinals at a single Slam since Venus Williams did it at the U.S. Open in 2001. Back then, Venus was 21 years and 71 days old. She went on to win the title without dropping a set, beating her younger sister Serena in the final.
Next up, she will face Madison Keys in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, will be a tough test in this all-American quarterfinal thriller. Coco Gauff is living her dream, playing like a legend, and sitting next to the ones who inspired her. Can she take one more step toward the title in Paris?
The post ‘Felt Like the Coolest Kid’- Coco Gauff Relives Past Incident When Ex-US Open Champ Surprised Her at Her Bday Party appeared first on EssentiallySports.
