Coco Gauff’s chasing history with every step. With her latest fourth-round win at Roland Garros, the 21-year-old has reached her ninth Grand Slam quarterfinal. Her clay-court journey in Paris has been nothing short of consistent. Gauff may have bowed out early in her main-draw debut in 2020, losing to Martina Trevisan in the second round. But since then, she’s made the quarterfinals or better every single year. That includes her runner-up finish in 2022, when she reached her very first Grand Slam final. And by securing a place in another quarterfinal, she’s matched a milestone set by none other than Venus Williams.

The second seed had to work for her place in the final eight. Facing the No. 20 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, Gauff started off hot, taking the first set 6-0. But the second set turned into a gritty battle. Alexandrova raised her game and even erased a break deficit. Still, Gauff found her rhythm again just in time, sealing the match 6-0, 7-5 in just 1 hour and 22 minutes.

That win earned the young American a special place in tennis history. At 21 years and 73 days old, she’s now the youngest woman to reach five or more singles quarterfinals at one Grand Slam since Williams did it at the US Open in 2001. Venus was 21 years and 71 days old back then and she didn’t just make the quarters. She went on to win the title, defeating her sister Serena in the final. She didn’t drop a single set that entire tournament.

But that’s not the only Venus-linked feat Coco Gauff has matched. With her 2025 Roland-Garros campaign, she became the youngest American woman to reach the fourth round at seven consecutive Grand Slam events, a streak previously accomplished by Venus between 1997-1999. Add to that another impressive stat: Gauff is the first American to reach the last 16 at Indian Wells three years in a row since Venus, and the youngest to do so since Serena Williams.

There’s more! After her third-round win at the 2025 Australian Open, the 20-year-old notched her 63rd Grand Slam singles match victory, edging past Venus Williams’ tally at the same age. That milestone now makes Gauff the American woman with the most Grand Slam singles wins before turning 21, eclipsing the very icon who inspired her journey.

Rewind to July 2019 Wimbledon. A 15-year-old Gauff, ranked No. 313 in the world, faced Venus Williams on Centre Court. She had already made history by becoming the youngest qualifier in the Open Era to reach the main draw at the All England Club. But then came the jaw-dropper. Gauff stunned Venus with a calm, clean 6–4, 6–4 win. She broke her idol once in each set and kept her unforced errors down to just eight. But she didn’t just stop there, the following year, she beat Venus again at the 2020 Australian Open. The duo also haven’t just been across the net from each other, they’ve teamed up too! The duo got together for doubles in Paris in 2021.

Now, in a twist of fate, Venus is back in Coco’s orbit, this time as a voice in her ear. Venus has joined TNT Sports as a commentator for the 2025 French Open, and she’s already handing out some golden tips.

Venus Williams dishes out some sound advice for Coco Gauff

A few weeks back, Venus Williams took on a fresh challenge as a commentator. She’s now part of the TNT Sports broadcast crew covering the 2025 French Open. That new role gave Coco Gauff the chance to connect with one of her longtime idols and ask for some real advice. Even with her current momentum, there are days on tour when things just don’t click and your best isn’t enough. So, what do you do then? That’s what Gauff wanted advice on.

Venus explained, “Passion. Like love, love the game, but also a sheer determination to have fun no matter what. Yeah, like you want to win, but you want to look back and say, ‘I had a good time.’ It’s horrible to look back and be like, ‘I hated it.’ You don’t want to remember it like you felt sad. So win, lose, or draw, that was non-negotiable.”

The 7-time Grand Slam champion added, “And like, making a life and a schedule that fit around happiness. Because when you’re happy, you play well. So those two go hand in hand, and it’s like a simple equation but non-negotiable. Your schedule, everything around you, has to make you happy. And it sounds a little selfish, but tennis players are selfish. But we can’t help it. We’re by ourselves, so we have to be. But I think you’re doing perfectly.”

Now, with a quarterfinal spot booked, the 21-year-old will be facing either the Australian Open champion Madison Keys or unseeded up-and-comer Hailey Baptiste on Wednesday. All eyes are now on the young American as she looks to go even further. Coco Gauff is two wins away from her second final in Paris. Will she finish what she started in 2022? What do you think?