Coco Gauff needed three and a half hours to get past Zheng Qinwen in three sets Thursday to reach the Italian Open final, where she'll face Jasmine Paolini.

Coco Gauff is Jasmine Paolini's opponent in the Italian Open final. A challenge that confirms the golden moment of the young American, ranked number 3 in the WTA, now a regular presence at the top

Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen were locked in a tightly contested battle that had seen the American edge out the first set in a tiebreak and Zheng claw back the second 6-4. However, it was in the early stages of the third set that the match had its most memorable moment- not through a blazing winner or a marathon rally, but through unfiltered humor.