Cori Gauff has joined Serena Williams and Venus Williams on the list of American female tennis players who have reached 10 WTA semifinals before turning 19. Gauff, who will be turning 19 in March, defeated fellow American Madison Keys 6-2 7-5 to progress into the semifinal of a WTA 1000 event in Dubai.
After the Williams sisters and Lindsay Davenport, Gauff becomes the fourth American female player with 10 WTA semifinals before turning 19. Earlier this year, Gauff won Auckland in the first week of the season.
Gauff defeated Keys for a bit of history
Gauff got off to the best possible start to the match against Keys, breaking the former world No 7 in the very first game of the match.
In the fifth game, Gauff broke Keys again to take a 4-1 lead and go up by a double break. Up by a double break, Gauff routinely held on to her serve for the rest of the first set to clinch the opener. After easily winning the first set, Gauff also earned the first break of the second set in the third game.
Down by a set and a break, Keys broke back Gauff in the fourth game of the second set to tie the set to two games apiece. However, blowing an early second-set break didn’t impact Gauff, who broke Keys again in the 11th game and served out for the match in the following game.
“Staying present…
