Coco Gauff admitted it would be a "lifelong dream" to face Serena Williams at the US Open, in what is likely to be the latter's final tournament of a glittering career.
Gauff reached the second week at Flushing Meadows in the women's singles for the first time after cruising to a 6-2-6-3 win over Madison Keys on Friday.
The number 12 seed saw off her fellow American in composed fashion to book her place in the last 16, exceeding her previous best result at the US Open in 2019.
Gauff was largely in control against the number 20 seed Keys to deliver near-flawless performance, chasing a second grand slam final of the year after finishing as runner-up at the French Open to Iga Swiatek.
She will face China's Zhang Shuai in the next round, but when asked if she will watch Williams' match against Ajla Tomljanovic later in the day during her on-court interview, Gauff said she would, adding: "It's been amazing watching Serena's matches so far. I don't know when I'd be due to face her but that's the goal.
"It's been a lifelong dream of mine to do that. Five years ago yesterday I was watching Venus and Serena play here. It's crazy to be on this court now.
"I tried to flex to my friends that I had courtside seats, now I'm on the court!"
Should both remain in the tournament, Gauff and Williams would face each other in the semi-finals.
Gauff also paid tribute to Keys, and to the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, saying: "[The win] means a lot to me... I missed my alarm and was so late. I was here until 9pm last night and lost a doubles match [with Jessica Pegula].
"Kudos to my team, they got me up for it.
"I wasn't sure how the crowd was going to go. We all love Madison... I'm good friends with her off the court, but having support here meant a lot."
'Your legacy will live forever' - Djokovic hails Nadal 'tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit'
Novak Djokovic believes Rafael Nadal's "legacy will live forever" as the 24-time major winner paid tribute to his great rival.
Nadal announced on Thursday via a video on his social media platforms that he will retire from competitive tennis following next month's Davis Cup finals in Malaga.
It brings the curtain down on a glittering career in which he won 22 grand slams, including a record 14 French Open singles triumphs.
His major tally was then a record, but has since been surpassed by Djokovic, against whom he contested what many believe to be tennis' greatest rivalry.
The pair faced off 60 times, including nine times in slam finals, with the Serb boasting a narrowly superior 31-29 record, while he prevailed in their final clash at the Paris Olympics.
And Djokovic has followed suit in paying tribute to the Spaniard, who was dubbed "the King of Clay" for his exploits at Roland-Garros.
"Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport," he wrote on his social media platforms.
"You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis, and I think that's probably the greatest achievement anyone can wish for.
"Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit are going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever. Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon of tennis and sport in general.
"Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry, which has impacted me the most as a player.
"Your passion for representing Spain has always been remarkable. I wish you the best possible farewell in Malaga with the Davis Cup team of Spain. I will be there in person to pay respect to your stellar career."
'He's an inspiration for all of us' - Sabalenka salutes 'legend' Nadal
Aryna Sabalenka paid tribute to "legend" Rafael Nadal, acknowledging the retiring Spaniard is "an inspiration to all of us".
The 22-time major winner announced on Thursday via a video on his social media platforms that he will retire from competitive tennis following next month's Davis Cup finals in Malaga.
Nadal's decision - generally expected given his injury struggles in recent years - has been met with widespread tributes throughout the tennis and sporting world.
And WTA number two Sabalenka - the reigning Australian and US Open champion - was the latest big name to salute the 14-time French Open winner, who was dubbed "the King of Clay".
"He's an inspiration for all of us, for the next generation, for current players. He's a legend," Sabalenka told WTA.
"As he said, everything has a beginning and an end. We are all going to be there. I'm really happy for what he was able to achieve. He was inspiration for everyone. He's a hard worker. He definitely had so much love for this sport."
Sabalenka is through to her 11th successive WTA quarter-final at the Wuhan Open after coming from behind to beat Yulia Putintseva 1-6 6-4 6-0.
The reigning champion recovered from losing the opening set - plus a break point at 4-3 down in the second set - to claim his 14th straight victory in Wuhan.
"In the first set, I was all over the place," she added. "I'm really glad that I was able to put myself together in the second set and things clicked.
"In that game [the eighth in the second set], I was just trying to cool myself down and just to remind myself to keep trying, keep fighting.
"You have to work for it, you have to run, you have to play the point, build the point, find the right shot, then go for it, not rush things. I was just having that conversation in my head all the time.
"After that game, I felt like something clicked. The return was better. The movement was better. The decisions I was making were much better. I felt like that was really the turning point in the match."
Ronaldo hails 'incredible' Nadal as King of Clay announces retirement
Cristiano Ronaldo has hailed Rafael Nadal as an "incredible" inspiration to millions around the world after the King of Clay announced he will retire from tennis next month.
Having struggled with injuries throughout the last couple of years, 22-time grand slam champion Nadal confirmed 2024 will be his final year on the ATP Tour on Thursday.
Nadal will call time on his glittering career after November's Davis Cup finals in Malaga, where he will feature for a Spain team also containing four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Only Margaret Court, Novak Djokovic (24 each) and Serena Williams (23) have won more grand slam singles titles than Nadal in tennis history (22), with his 14 triumphs at the French Open a record for titles won at a single major.
He posted a video explaining his decision to bow out to his social media channels on Thursday, saying he had been playing with "limitations" for the last two years.
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo was among the first to react to the news, commenting on Nadal's Instagram post: "Rafa, what an incredible race you've had!
"Your dedication, passion and incredible talent have inspired millions around the world.
"It has been an honour to witness your journey and to be able to call you a friend. Congrats on an amazing career! Enjoy your retirement!"
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
