Coco Gauff serves life-lessons

PARIS: Just by the way, Coco Gauff is in her first Grand Slam semifinals -- on Roland Garros' slow, red shale.A little after the 18-year-old American schooled compatriot Sloane Stephens with a 90-minute exercise on solidity in the quarterfinals of the French Open, where she sealed a 7-5, 6-2 result, Gauff proceeded to give Court Philippe Chatrier some life lessons. "Last year I was too focused on fulfilling other people's expectations. No matter how good or 'bad' my career is, I think I'm a great person," said Gauff, who graduated from high school two weeks ago. "Your results or your job or how much money you make doesn't define you as a person. If you love yourself, who cares what anyone else thinks."Then, just before she left the storied arena, Gauff, who is yet to drop a set here this year, paused briefly before writing, ‘dream big' on the courtside camera. She didn't have to spell it out, but being a good person and having ambition aren't mutually exclusive. Gauff, whose forthright manner and bubbly personality has endeared her to fans, got off the blocks quickly on a dismal afternoon that drew on the teen's light. While Gauff tore away for 3-0 advantage, it was a question of when Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, would weigh in.
The 29-year-old levelled at five games apiece but fumbled as Gauff, who won the junior title here as a 14-year-old, picked up pace to take the early lead. In a clash where the players shed inhibitions quickly to ask the daunting questions, covering angles and using the lines, it was Gauff who took the 4-0 lead in the second set. Not surprisingly then the match hinged on break-point conversion rate and the teenager's stood at a decisive 60 percent. Gauff will go up against another first-time Grand Slam semifinalist in Italian Martina Trevisan on Thursday. Trevisan put out the No.17 seed Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-3 in 2 hours and 21 minutes.The 28-year-old Trevisan's breakthrough tournament came at Roland Garros two years ago, when she reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier ranked No.159. The Italian, who was forced to hit the pause button on her career, sidelined for four years as she battled anorexia, wrote about it in a personal blog spot, where she underscored her journey, learning to make peace with her body.