23YO American Dark Horse Earns Rare Venus Williams’ Nod Amid French Open Breakthrough

The American dream is alive and thriving at the French Open with five WTA players fighting it out and keeping the hopes alive for their country, in a race to emerge as the last one standing when it’s all said and done. While established female stars like Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, and Coco Gauff are showcasing their form with constant victories, having reached the fourth round, a young, 23-year-old talent has also caught the attention thanks to her promising campaign on the Parisian clay. And now, she’s got a huge vote of confidence from tennis legend, 7-time slam queen, and 2002 Roland Garros finalist Venus Williams.

While she wasn’t expected to go the long distance, barring her first few wins, rising American star Hailey Baptiste has stunned everyone. After kicking off her campaign with a victory over a solid player like Beatriz Haddad Maia, she hasn’t looked back. Baptiste then thrashed Japan’s Nao Hibino in straight sets before securing a fourth-round ticket. She made it happen after taking down Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Saturday in the third round.

It appears Venus Williams is in awe of Baptiste lately. She made it evident as well during an interaction with TNT Sports’ team, dated May 31, at the French Open. When asked to comment on various American female players who are doing great in Paris, Williams said, “Yes, we’ve been. We’ve been…” while underlining that she’s a big “fan of American tennis…”

Williams highlighted Hailey Baptiste , following her second round win over Hibino, and admired her fantastic run at the Roland Garros. “It’s great to see some of the younger players doing well. Hailey Baptiste, so talented. She’s in the third round. That’s huge.” On Monday, Baptiste will go against compatriot Madison Keys in the fourth round.

Apart from Baptiste, Venus also immensely praised the flagbearer of American hopes in Paris. The one and only Coco Gauff. So what did the 7-time slam champion say about the World No.2?

Venus Williams impressed by Coco Gauff at the French Open

Coco Gauff has proven her mettle on clay in Paris. As a junior, she’s already been a singles champion at the French Open. Back in 2018, she won the trophy defeating compatriot Caty McNally. She beat her with a score line of 1-6, 6-3, 7-6. After turning pro, Gauff has been promising with her performances at the Roland Garros.

In 2022, she succeeded in reaching the French Open final. Unfortunately, Poland’s Iga Swiatek bested her back then to win the trophy. Last season, too, the 2024 WTA Finalist made it to the semis before Swiatek defeated her again. But Gauff keeps trying to make a deep run and hopefully win her maiden slam trophy on clay. She’s moving in that direction in this season’s edition too.

Gauff began her campaign with an easy win over Aussie Olivia Gadecki. She kept it going against first-time slam debutant Tereza Valentova in the second round. The American beat the Czechian with a score line of 6-2, 6-4. On Saturday, she faced another Czechian, Marie Bouzkova. After cruising through the first set, Gauff had some turbulence as Bouzkova pushed the result into a tie-break. Eventually, the World No.2 came out strongly and entered the fourth round with a final score line of 6-1, 7-6(3).

Gauff’s amazing display against Bouzkova earned praises from Venus Williams. “She killed it. I hope she continues to just shine because she has the potential to win this title, right, the stars have to align.”

Continuing further she added, “It’s not easy to play great day in and day out, you’re going to have some bad days, but if you can figure out how to win on the bad days, it builds so much confidence, and you will definitely have bad days on this clay, you know.” What are your thoughts on Gauff’s prospects at the 2025 French Open? Can she really win the trophy? Let us know in the comments below.

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