Coco Gauff continues to impress at Roland Garros as she advances to the third round.
Having reached two WTA 1000 finals on clay this year, expectations were high for the world number two when she traveled to Paris for the French Open.
Meeting those expectations, Gauff dominated Olivia Gadecki in her opening match, knocking out the Australian in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
Her second-round opponent, Tereza Valentova, put up more of a fight but was still no match for the 21-year-old, as Gauff booked her spot in the third round with a 6-2, 6-4 win.
After beating Valentova, Gauff sat down with a multiple-time Grand Slam-winning legend, who was full of praise for her fellow American.
Venus Williams tells Coco Gauff she ‘absolutely’ can win the 2025 French Open
Working as a member of the TNT Sports broadcast team for the French Open, Venus Williams spoke to Gauff after her second-round win.
“I am so happy for you. You are here, I am so glad you came and took the time to be here with us. I am so proud of you, too,” said Williams.
“She has had a great year so far. I know you have big dreams of winning this tournament. You have been so close, and you can absolutely do it, but you have to do it one match at a time, but she has got the goods.
“You have the attitude. You want to win every point, maybe too much sometimes.
“The passion is there, and it’s more than anything entertaining. Sport is so important, but the entertainment factor is so important too, and you just give it.
“Everybody can feel what you are feeling, I love that.”
Gauff thanked Williams for her kind words and told the seven-time Grand Slam winner she inspired her to become a tennis player.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You and Serena [Williams] are the reason I started this sport, and being here is surreal. I did not know you were going to be at the desk, so I’m really happy to be here.
“I am just having a little moment here, so I am trying to get the words out, but honestly, it means a lot to hear that from you.
“I never would have thought when I picked up a racket that I would be sitting here with her having this conversation.”
Williams and Gauff may represent different generations of American tennis, but their paths have overlapped on several occasions, most recently at Roland Garros four years ago.
What happened when Coco Gauff and Venus Williams played doubles at the 2021 French Open?
At the 2021 French Open, Gauff and Williams teamed up for the doubles tournament.
They faced a tough test in their opening match, coming up against 13th seeds Zheng Saisai and Ellen Perez.
Winning the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-5), it looked as if the American duo were set to cause an upset, before Perez and Zheng fought back.
Losing out, Gauff and Williams fell to a 7-6, 4-6, 3-6, defeat, as their dreams of French Open glory were dashed in the first round.
They had already played twice on the WTA Tour before the 2021 French Open, with their first meeting living long in the memory of those in attendance.
At just 15 years of age, Gauff stepped onto Court One to play Williams in the first round of Wimbledon in 2019.
Shocking the world, Gauff beat the former five-time champion in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Few had heard of Gauff before Wimbledon in 2019, but after such a stunning victory, few hadn’t when the tournament concluded.
They played for a second time at the Grand Slam level in Melbourne one year later, again facing off in the first round.
Extending her head-to-head lead to 2-0 against Williams, Gauff won 7-6, 6-3, to secure her spot in the second round.
Williams hasn’t played a singles match in over a year, as it seems unlikely we’ll see a third instalment of their engaging rivalry.
Gauff will no doubt have taken a lot of confidence from her two wins over Williams, confidence she may well call upon in the third round of the French Open.
The 21-year-old will return to take on Marie Bouzkova in the third round on Saturday, May 31.
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