First came the tears and then came the gratitude, with Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff plucking up the courage at the net to thank Venus Williams for being an inspiration. It had been a strange way of showing it, taking 79 minutes to overwhelm one of her role models, someone who showed her — and her parents — what could can be achieved in tennis. This Williams 2.0 had always wanted to tell the original article what she meant to her. ‘In my science test I got a B and today I will give myself an A,’ she beamed later. It had been a brilliant performance, trading shot for shot with her idol and showing the priceless ability to pull out big serves when needed, hitting 116mph at one point. Next up is 2017 semi-finalist Magdalena Rybarikova. As for Williams, she can barely string two sentences together when interviewed. Asked for a gauge of her opponent’s potential, she said: ‘I think the sky’s the limit, it really is.’ Asked what advice she might give, she added: ‘Just have fun. Enjoy life.