Hailey Baptiste is the latest American tennis star to make a run at the French Open
The 23-year-old is appearing in her first fourth round at a Grand Slam as she continues her remarkable run in Paris.
Baptiste first dispatched Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round at Roland Garros.
The American rallied from a set down to dominate the next two, dropping just four games as she served up eight aces and won seven games in a row at one point to secure her place in the second round.
She then backed it up with wins over Nao Hibino and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to find herself in the fourth round.
It’s been a string of impressive performance from a player who’s making only her third appearance at the French Open.
She’s never got past the second round in the French capital, and is now on the verge of the quarterfinals, but first she’ll have to overcome Australian Open champion Madison Keys.
Despite not making massive inroads at Grand Slams, Baptiste has been on the tour for a while.
She made her professional debut back in 2019 and has since appeared in seven Grand Slam main draws, although never got past the second round.
When it comes to the American tennis scene, she’s a popular face, not least to the big US stars like Coco Gauff and Frances Tiafoe.
Gauff and Baptiste share a close friendship that extends back to when they were children.
The 2023 US Open champion opened up on her relationship with Baptiste when the pair clashed back in 2023 at the Washington Open.
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Gauff beat her compatriot 6-1, 6-4, and they shared a warm embrace at the net following the match.
“Playing Hailey, a friend, known her for a long time,” Gauff said at the time of her win.
“It was really cool to play her in front of her hometown, and hopefully we have many more battles in the future.”
“We practiced together so many times. Camps together. We even shared a room together in Palm Springs for, like, three weeks or two weeks.
“We were roommates. Yeah, we know each other very well.”
Baptiste joined fellow American Robin Montgomery in the second round at Roland Garros, another close friend of Gauff.
Although for Baptiste, the bonds with the top American talents don’t stop there, as she’s opened up on her friendship with Tiafoe.
Tiafoe and Baptiste are childhood friends and grew up together in Washington, DC.
“He’s always a huge inspiration to me and he’s like a brother to me,” Baptiste said.
“We went to school together and when I was in fourth grade I’d be with him all day and hang out with him every weekend, and we’re still close to this day. Same with his brother, his parents, they’re basically my family.
“To see that, of course it’s possible because I’ve grown up with him and he’s right there.”
The Tiafoe links don’t stop there either, with Baptiste also working with his brother, Franklin Tiafoe.
“It’s a blessing for sure,” Franklin told rolandgarros.com.
“Being able to be a part of what she’s doing right now, after us being together for years and years. She’s basically like my sister, so seeing her do her thing is great.”
Baptiste still has a way to go in her young tennis career, but in Tiafoe and Gauff, she has the very best to lean on.
Also in her corner is Serena and Venus Williams’ ex-coach Eric Hechtman, another point of expertise to lean in for the American.
