French Open tennis: Coco Gauff makes history

American Coco Gauff (pictured) beat Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in straight sets in the fourth round of the 2021 French Open on Monday at Roland Garros in Paris. Photo by Ian Langsdon/EPA-EFE
American Coco Gauff (pictured) beat Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in straight sets in the fourth round of the 2021 French Open on Monday at Roland Garros in Paris. Photo by Ian Langsdon/EPA-EFE

June 7 (UPI) -- American teen Cori "Coco" Gauff made history and clinched a spot in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal Monday, with a straight-sets win over Tunisia's Ons Jabeur at the 2021 French Open in Paris.

Coco, 17, is the youngest woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since Czech Nicole Vaidisova advanced to the same stage at age 17 at the 2006 French Open. She is the youngest American to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since Venus Williams at the 1997 U.S. Open.

The Delray Beach, Fla., native dispatched of Jabeur in 53 minutes to move on to a match against Czech Barbora Krejcikova on Tuesday at Roland Garros.

The winner moves on to the semifinals of the women's singles circuit at the clay-court Grand Slam.

"It's important for me, especially since COVID-19 and the bubble, to have fun," Coco told Tennis Channel. "Every night I've [also] played Uno [with my family] and I win all the time."

Coco played clean tennis to earn the 6-3, 6-1 fourth-round win. She did not commit a single double fault and totaled just nine unforced errors. She claimed four of 11 break points.

She fired two aces and 15 winners. Jabeur totaled four aces, four double faults and 21 unforced errors. The Tunisian did not attempt a break point.

Krejcikova beat American Sloane Stephens in another match early Monday to advance to the quarterfinal. She won that match 6-2, 6-0.

Fellow American Serena Williams also lost her fourth-round match Sunday in Paris. Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina beat the 23-time Grand Slam champion 6-3, 7-5.

"I was just trying to win a match because it was a really difficult season for me on clay," Williams told reporters.

Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek and Spain's Paula Badosa were among the other women to advance Sunday on the singles circuit.

Russia's Daniil Medvedev, Germany's Alexander Zverev, Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas and Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won their fourth-round matches on the men's singles circuit Sunday in Paris.

Italian Matteo Berrettini advanced to the quarterfinals Monday due to Roger Federer's withdrawal from the Grand Slam.

Men's and women's fourth-round action airs from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT Monday on Tennis Channel and from 3 to 6 p.m. EDT on Peacock.

The first wave of quarterfinal matches airs from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday on Tennis Channel. The women's final is scheduled for 9 a.m. EDT Saturday on NBC. The men's final is at 9 a.m. EDT Sunday on NBC.

Serena Williams' tennis career: a look back

Serena Williams returns the ball to her sister, Venus, during their match at the Lipton Tennis Championship in Key Biscayne, Fla., on March 28, 1998. Venus Williams, defeated her sister 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Photo by Susan Knowles/UPI | License Photo

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