Coco Gauff leaped in the air and dodged her way into the Italian Open semi-finals. She stunned everyone with a match-point stunt during a nail-biting quarterfinal match to demonstrate her tennis prowess. The 20-year-old American tennis player’s performance not only captivated tennis fans but also drew admiration from Venus Williams.

Recently, the US Open champion took to her Instagram account to share a series of pictures of how she scored a match point in a totally astonishing manner. Along with that, she wrote, “a series of * fortunate* events…” After showing off her tennis skills, Gauff, herself dropped the comment, highlighting how she “didn’t post it right the first time, lol.”

In no time, the seven-time Grand Slam champion dropped a comment admiring the 20-year-old’s athleticism. The young American’s idol wrote in the comment, “Doing your own stunts!”

On match point, though, Gauff’s acrobatics took center stage. In the second set of the match, Gauff hit a shot that should have been an easy winner for her opponent Qinwen Zheng. However, the ball was overhit by the Chinese international, who sent it directly into Gauff’s path. Astonishingly, the third-ranked tennis player showed off his incredible agility by jumping into the air to avoid being hit by the ball as it fell outside the designated boundary line. Gauff successfully completed the maneuver, landing on the ground, and raised her arms in joy before approaching Zheng to shake hands.

Now, the young American tennis sensation will take on the world’s number-one-ranked tennis player, Iga Swiatek, to reach the final stage of the Italian Open. Subsequently, even the 20-year-old tennis player opened up about her intentions behind her athletic stunt.

In the post-match interview, she said, “Oh 100 percent [it was going to hit me]. I saw the ball and it came off her racquet so fast. I was completely running the other direction. I just tried to move out of the way because that would have been such a bad way to not win a match point. But I’m glad I didn’t get hit,”

Nonetheless, as she makes her way into the semifinals of the Italian Open, life advice from Venus Williams might come in handy.

When Coco Gauff shared a “life lesson” from Venus Williams

The 20-year-old holds Venus and Serena Williams in high regard. In an interview with Insider prior to the 2023 US Open, she discussed the priceless life lesson Venus gave her during the 2021 French Open. She stated, “It’s OK to feel what you’re feeling and let them exit your body — don’t hold them in. On the court, your feelings are valid and it’s OK to show them.'” 

At the 2023 Wimbledon, she shared with reporters that her victory against Venus during the first round of the Wimbledon 2019 tournament marked “the start of everything”

Gauff’s career turned around with this victory, which catapulted her into the public eye and laid the groundwork for her success on the professional tennis tour.