In a thrilling turn of events at Indian Wells, rising tennis star, Coco Gauff, has made an indelible mark, echoing the phenomenal legacy of Venus and Serena Williams. Gauff avenged her previous defeat to Maria Sakkari by clinching an emphatic 7-6(1), 6-2 victory over the 29th seed on Monday.
While Gauff’s performance was not without blemishes, including six double faults in the concluding stages of the match, her tenacity shone through. She indeed held her ground, following up on her initial triumph over Moyuka Uchijima. This victory has propelled Gauff to the fourth round, a success she has now achieved three times consecutively.
The 20-year-old Gauff’s consistency is impressive, having made it to the fourth round in the last two years. However, she aspires to surpass her previous bests – a quarter-final finish in 2023, and a semi-final berth in 2024.
Gauff’s remarkable consistency has put her in the same league as Venus Williams. She is the first American woman since Venus to secure a spot in the second week of Indian Wells for three successive years. This achievement mirrors Venus’s streak from 2017 to 2019, where she triumphed in all her fourth-round matches.
Yet, Venus is not the only Williams sister that Gauff is following the path of. Serena Williams, the younger Williams sibling, also had a similar run at Indian Wells from 1999-2001. This makes Gauff the youngest American woman to accomplish this feat since Serena.
However, there’s one Serena record Gauff has yet to match. The 23-time Grand Slam champion won the Indian Wells title twice, in 1999 and 2001. Gauff, who is currently the world No.3, is still in pursuit of her maiden victory in the desert.
As Gauff aligns herself with American tennis legends like Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, fans are eager to see if she can end the 24-year wait for an American woman to win Indian Wells. The last American woman to bag this title was Serena Williams in 2001.
The absence of the Williams sisters, who boycotted the tournament from 2002 until 2015 and 2016 respectively, may have been a significant factor in this. Since 2001, only Lindsay Davenport (2003-05) and Serena (2016) have reached the final representing the US.
Gauff’s pursuit of her first Indian Wells title continues with a fourth-round clash against Belinda Bencic. If she emerges victorious, a potential face-off with the fifth seed Keys awaits her in the quarter-finals. As Gauff powers through Indian Wells, one can’t help but wonder if history will indeed be rewritten.
