Cori Gauff: What you need to know about teenage tennis sensation

Cori Gauff is tennis' newest star, making headlines around the world after a fantastic run in the first week at Wimbledon.

The 15-year-old American faces former world number one Simona Halep on Court One on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals in what could be her toughest test yet at SW19.

So who is Cori Gauff?

1. She is also known by her nickname Coco and is coached by her father Corey Gauff.

2. She has drawn comparisons with Serena and Venus Williams, the latter of whom she sensationally beat in round one at Wimbledon last week.

Gauff grew up idolising the sisters, saying that was "the reason why I play tennis".

3. Her parents followed a similar path to the Williams' sisters' father.

They followed the "road map" drawn by the Williams' sisters' dad Richard and that included "a shared training base of Pompey Park in Delray Beach, Florida", said the New York Times.

Corey Gauff said: "The Williams family in general made me realise that it was possible.

"There wasn't a lot of colour in the sport, and particularly in our country, African-American girls weren't playing tennis."

4. After her stunning three-set comeback victory in the third round against Polona Hercog on Friday evening, she became the number one trending topic worldwide on Twitter.

5. She is the youngest female player to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since Jennifer Capriati in 1991, who was also 15 at the time.

6. Before Wimbledon, Gauff had never played a main draw match at a Grand Slam, and she was only able to play at SW19 because the tournament gave her a wild card into the qualifying event, where she successfully progressed after winning three matches.

7. By the time Gauff had been born in March 2004, Venus Williams had already won two Wimbledon singles titles.

8. Gauff, whose name is pronounced Goff, started playing tennis aged seven. She grew up in Atlanta and later moved to Florida to develop her tennis talents.

9. At the age of 10, she caught the eye of Serena Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who invited her to his training academy in the south of France.

10. In 2017, she became the youngest US Open junior girls finalist in history at the age of 13.

11. Gauff triumphed in the girls' event at the French Open aged 14, the second youngest winner ever.

12. She made her ITF (International Tennis Federation) debut in May 2018 as a qualifier at an event in Osprey, Florida, where she won her first professional match.

13. Female tennis players aged 15 are normally limited to 10 tournaments a year.

This is known as the Capriati Rule because it was introduced in 1995 to try to shield young players from the early burnout that beset Capriati.

However, Gauff's maximum has been increased to 14, after good results last year: Winning the French Open juniors earned her an additional two pro events to compete in, while her ranking boost during Wimbledon has guaranteed her two more.

14. Roger Federer's Team8 management agency represents Gauff. The Swiss star believes teenagers like Gauff should be allowed to play more than 10 events.

15. The American teenager is projected to earn $1m before her 16th birthday, but experts say if she realises her potential she could earn nearly £100m a year at her peak.

16. She has two main sponsors: New Balance and Italian food company Barilla, which is also a sponsor of Federer.

17. Gauff's parents were both successful athletes. Her father Corey played basketball at Georgia State University and her mother Candi was a track and field athlete at Florida State University.

18. She is home-schooled by her mother, a former teacher, but also takes virtual classes when she is travelling around the world.

19. One of Gauff's favourite musicians, Jaden Smith, who released a new album on Friday, showed his support for her on Twitter, saying: Shout Out @CocoGauff You're The One.

Gauff, when asked if she was more excited about winning or about Smith's album, laughed and said "both".

20. A former junior world no 1, she is now ranked 313 among the women players but after this stellar run she is expected to rise up the WTA rankings.