Coco Gauff gains French Open quarter-finals for a third year in succession

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Tennis365
June 5, 2023

Coco Gauff reached the French Open quarter-finals for the third successive year with a straight-sets victory over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

The 19-year-old American failed to serve out the opening set at the first time of asking but was otherwise convincing in a 7-5 6-2 victory on Suzanne Lenglen.

Gauff could face a rematch of last year’s final against world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals.

Seventh seed Ons Jabeur eased into the last eight with a 6-3 6-1 victory over American Bernarda Pera.

The Tunisian, who reached the final at both Wimbledon and the US Open last year, has struggled with injury in 2023 but is through to the quarter-finals here for the first time.

“It was the only grand slam missing,” said Jabeur. “I’m very happy with the performance, with the way I was, playing, especially coming back after an injury.

“I was just taking it one match at a time, trying to make it to the second week. Now I’m going to push more for the next few matches.

“I have learned a lot how to accept things, either good or bad,” Jabeur also told the gathered press.

“For me, being injured was part of my path, how the season would have started here this year. You know, I worked a lot on my mental health and worked a lot on how to manage all this, because I believe there is a lot of injuries are connected to our emotional part. I’m trying to manage that.

“I believe that our body and our mind is connected. If there is an issue — for example, like when you go and train hard, you have a sore muscle — for me, the diseases or injuries are the same. Your body is trying to give you a message and you have to listen to it.

“If the knee is hurting, there is a certain explanation for that. Maybe I’m trying to take control over things or not trying to be open-minded about some stuff. So I always try to look at the explanation of what my mind is trying to tell me. Of course, looking at the physical injury as well.

“But everything is connected. Everything is connected with everything, either your past, your present right now. It’s probably a long conversation, but briefly, it’s that.”

In the last eight she will meet Beatriz Haddad Maia, who needed a mammoth three hours and 51 minutes to get past Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-7 (3) 6-3 7-5.

It was the longest women’s match of the year and the longest at Roland Garros since 1995, with Haddad Maia becoming the first Brazilian to reach the women’s singles quarter-finals since Maria Bueno 55 years ago.

“All the matches that I play I prepare myself for the toughest moments,” said the 14th seed. “So I know that Sara will bring the balls. She defends very well. I knew that the ball was coming again.

“I had to be aggressive. So I was prepared for that. I was trying to be as aggressive as I could to finish the point, to go to the net. I work very hard on my body, as well, so I believe in myself when we have tough moments.”

Coco Gauff