She made it to her first major final. There is a 0:29
Coco Gauff sat plain-faced in her French Open changeover chair after moving one set away from her first Grand Slam final at 18.
Her opponent was taking a medical timeout so she could be treated for her right thigh injury. It was the sort of delay that could rattle some players and make them cool off.
It's not Gauff. Not on this sunny day at the court. When the American arrived in Paris, she celebrated her high school graduation by posing for photos near the Eiffel Tower. Gauff will return to that stadium Saturday to face Iga Swiatek for the title.
Kim Clijsters was the runner-up a day after her 18th birthday in 2001 when she was the youngest finalist at the clay-court major.
Over the last two weeks, Gauff has won all 12 sets she has played. She didn't need to go through the most difficult path to get to this point because she has faced only one seed so far, No. 31 Elise Mertens.
Someone who will present a much harder test will need a higher level of quality. Swiatek is a Grand Slam champion and has not lost a match in her past 34 matches.
The men's semifinals are Friday, with 13 time French Open champion Rafael Nadal playing No.
Swiatek lost to Jelena Ostapenko in February but won her next five tournaments. Serena Williams had a winning streak that was similar to that of the Polish player who won a major singles title. In 2000, Venus Williams had a 35- match winning streak.
Swiatek won 10 of the last 11 games after they were even at 2-2.
Gauff won nine of the last 10 games after they were tied at 3-all.
The AP contributed to the story.
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