American teenager sensation Coco Gauff reached her first Grand Slam final with a win in the French Open last four, setting up a tantalising meeting with world number one Iga Swiatek.
Gauff, 18, won 6-3 6-1 against unseeded Italian Martina Trevisan on the Paris clay in her first ever major semi-final.
Swiatek, the 2020 Roland Garros champion, has dropped just one set this fortnight on the Paris clay.
“It is a pretty special moment and emotional,” said Swiatek, who meets Gauff on Saturday. “I am grateful to be healthy and in that place.”
Gauff, seeded 18th, was the heavily tipped to win against Trevisan and has become the youngest finalist at Roland Garros since Kim Clijsters in 2001.
“I think I’m in a bit of shock right now and I didn’t know how to react at the end of the match,” Gauff said.
“I have no words to describe how I feel.”
The teenage phenomenon gained the attention of the world when she reached the Wimbledon fourth round as a 15-year-old in 2019 and has now become the Grand Slam finalist that many predicted.
Gauff won her maiden WTA singles title three months after Wimbledon and ended 2019 inside the top world’s 100.
After her quarter-final win at Roland Garros on Wednesday, she spoke about learning how to manage expectations – internally as well as externally – and how “enjoying life” was helping to achieve her goals on the court.
Swiatek, 21, who Guaff will face in the final completed a serene journey into the Roland Garros final with a 6-2 6-1 win over 20th seed Daria Kasatkina.
The Pole earned a 34th successive win to move into her second major final.