The Tennis Channel’s clever headline on Friday night’s match between Coco Gauff and Diana Shnaider read: Can I see your ID?

This was the first Hologic WTA Tour main-draw match between the rising 20-year-olds, but it likely won’t be their last. It could become a staple in future WTA Tour events toward the end.

Toronto: Scores | Ties | Game Standings

On a breezy night at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Shnaider soundly defeated No. 1 seed Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-1 in a match that ended in 70 minutes.

For Shnaider, it was her first Top 10 win after losing her previous two matches. As a result, she advanced to her first quarterfinal at a WTA 1000 event.

Shnaider is quietly having one of her best seasons on the WTA Tour. Born three weeks after Gauff in 2004, the 20-year-old is a respectable 39-14 in all professional platforms — two more than Gauff. Shnaider has survived two third-set tiebreakers in her first two matches.

Shnaider broke Gauff’s serve three times and was not broken herself. Gauff committed eight double faults and hit only 50 percent of her first serves.

Gauff is one of several Top 10 players who have chosen to make the jump to Toronto hardcourts immediately after playing the Olympics on the red clay of Roland Garros. It was important for Gauff to establish a foundation for the North American hardcourt season, which continues next week in Cincinnati and is followed by the US Open, where Gauff defends her title.

“Sometimes I question whether I should play or not,” Gauff said, “But at the end of the day I wanted to test myself and see how I could perform even though I was a little bit mentally tired and physically exhausted.

“I said my expectations were not high going into the tournament, but I wish I could have competed better today, even if I lost. I don’t think I competed well.”

With Gauff serving to stay level at 4-5 in the first set, Shnaider converted a third set point. She broke Gauff’s serve again in the fourth game of the second set and took control of the one-sided match.

After playing one season at North Carolina State, Shnaider finished 2023 ranked No. 60, highlighted by her run to the finals of the WTA 500 in Ningbo, China. Shnaider won three titles this year — on three different surfaces — in February at Hua Hin, Thailand (hard), in June at Bad Homburg (grass) and in July at Budapest (clay). She also reached two WTA 125s by winning at Charleston. She won the Olympic doubles silver medal with Mirra Andreeva in Paris.

A strong player, Shnaider is currently ranked 24th and on the rise.

For Gauff — despite her precocity — it was another reminder that she is a target as the No. 2-ranked player in the PIF WTA rankings. After missing the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Gauff prioritized winning a medal in Paris but came up short in all three disciplines.

“I think a lot of times people play their best tennis against higher-ranked players, and that’s just because they have nothing to lose,” said Gauff, who lost to Donna Vekic in the third round of the singles. “But if everyone plays me at their own level, that can make me better.

“When you have success at a young age, I think people forget, especially fans of the sport, that you’re still developing. A lot of times when you look at why some young girls don’t do as well as they get older, it’s more of a mental thing. Overall, I try to put it in perspective, and honestly, the Olympics were a great learning experience for me.”

Gauff has never been shy about sharing her burning passion for success, and those dreams have a way of coming true.

At 20, Gauff is ranked No. 2 among Hologic WTA Tour players and has one Grand Slam, last year’s US Open, on her growing resume. But believe it or not, it doesn’t always come as quickly as she’d like.

Gauff, who missed the Tokyo Olympics three years ago due to COVID, was looking forward to the Games in Paris and said her goal was to win a medal. She played in all three tennis events for the United States, but it didn’t happen.

The success of some of her older U.S. teammates in track and field has inspired her and helped put it into perspective. Gauff cited Gabby Thomas (200-meter gold), Tara Davis-Woodhall (long jump gold), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (400-meter hurdles gold) and Sha’Carri Richardson (100-meter silver).

“Sometimes when you’re young and you’re doing well, you want everything to happen right away,” Gauff explained at the National Bank Open in Toronto. “A lot of them are 24, 24 to 27, so I think it puts it in perspective sometimes. I think I’ve learned to just trust my education and my journey, just talking to them and learning their stories.

“They all did well at some point when they were young because they’re so good. Your game will reach its final form in a few years. I’m 20, so hopefully I’ll be there when I’m 24.”