French Open: Coco Gauff inspired by Emma Raducanu’s US Open victory

Coco Gauff says she’s been inspired by Emma Raducanu’s US Open victory and believes it shows any player can challenge for Grand Slam titles. 

Raducanu became the first qualifier ever to win a major tennis tournament last year, while playing in just her second ever Slam event. 

And Gauff, who is younger than Raducanu, but has played on the WTA Tour for three years now, thinks that all players are capable of winning a major title. 

“I’m thinking, especially if the US Open taught us anything, that anybody can win on any day,” she told the BBC. 

“I think all players should really go into the match thinking about that.”

Gauff burst onto the scene at Wimbledon in 2019 at the age of just 15. Since then, she has won two WTA titles and reached the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros. 

Nonetheless, there are some who have criticised Gauff for not kicking-on as much as expected, given many consider her a Grand Slam champion in waiting. 

Gauff’s time may well be now, however, having reached the last eight of the French Open for the second year in a row. 

So far, the US star has not dropped a set and beat 31st seed Elise Mertens in dominant fashion on Sunday. 

Next up for the teenage prodigy is another former US Open champion in Sloane Stephens, but Gauff is confident she still has what it takes to go all the way in the competition. 

“I think for me I’ve always believed that I could go far, but for other players I think so as well,” she stressed. 

“In this tournament, both sides of the draw, with the exception of Iga [Swiatek], there are a lot of lower-seeded and lower-ranked players still left in the tournament.

“So I really think that players believe that. Other players believe that. I think a lot of it stems from that tournament [last