cnn
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It wasn't long ago that Coco Gauff burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old, defeating Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019.
But time marches on and it was Gauff who was the experienced player on the court Saturday as she defeated 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva in a close battle between two of tennis' most talented teenagers.
The American lost the first set in a tiebreak, but recovered to dismantle Andreeva in the next two sets and win 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the fourth round of the French Open .
“We actually practiced together this week,” Gauff, who was still 19, said afterward, according to The Guardian. “I don't know if he made the difference in the game; It's all about adaptation, that's tennis.
“Today was not going to be an easy game, she deserves to be where she is and go even further.”
Andreeva celebrated her 16th birthday in April and became the youngest player to reach the third round of Roland Garros since 2005, according to the WTA.
And for the first 65 minutes of the match, it looked like Andreeva might continue her meteoric rise with a stunning victory as she hit Gauff's weaker forehand side with first serves and won the set tiebreaker.
Despite her age, Gauff has already played in numerous French Open tournaments and reached the final last year. Armed with that experience, she reset, strengthened her second serve and took advantage of his powerful backhand to finally overtake Andreeva.
Gauff will now face unseeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova for a place in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Elsewhere in the women's draw, defending champion and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek also reached the fourth round with a convincing 6-0 6-0 victory against China's Wang Xinyu, while world No. 4 Elena Rybakina withdrew from the French Open citing superiority. respiratory disease.
