"Caitlin Clark playing like Steph Curry" - Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff praise Iowa star's 'unreal' record-breaking performance in win over LSU

Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff have lavished praise on Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark's remarkable performance against the LSU Tigers in the blockbuster Elite Eight showdown.

Clark led Iowa to an impressive 94-87 victory over Angel Reese's LSU to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. With the win, the Hawkeyes avenged their loss to the Tigers in the championship match last year.

Caitlin Clark delivered a stellar performance in the highly anticipated game, putting up 41 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. Additionally, the 22-year-old made history by breaking the record for most career 3-pointers and assists in NCAA women's tournament history.

Coco Gauff, who had excitedly cleared her schedule for the game, shared the post celebrating Caitlin Clark's record-breaking achievement and praised her "unreal" performance.

"Unreal game sheesshh @caitlinclark22," Gauff posted on her Instagram story.

Ben Shelton also hailed Clark, comparing her level with that of Steph Curry.

"Caitlin playing like curry rn," Shelton posted.

Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton's Instagram stories

Gauff and Shelton have also previously shared their admiration for Caitlin Clark, commending her for becoming the NCAA's all-time leading scorer in women's basketball in February.

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Coco Gauff: "My parents put me in basketball and track, I ended up missing my All-Star game because I had to play the junior US Open"

Coco Gauff

During the Australian Open in January, Coco Gauff opened up about her sporting interests outside of tennis, sharing that she had initially pursued track and basketball as well.

"I did do track and basketball. I really love track. I think I would have been a good 400 runner.

"I've actually never really timed myself like just a straight, like, sprint. The only times I'm on the track is for cardio, and we're doing a lot of them," Gauff said in a press conference in Melbourne.

The 20-year-old disclosed that her parents didn't want her to be singularly focused on tennis at an early age and had encouraged her to get involved in other sports. The American recalled missing her All-Star game to compete at the 2017 US Open in girls' singles, where she lost to Amanda Anisimova in the final.

"I think it just keeps it fun. My parents always never wanted me to specify in a sport, which is why when I was 13, I knew that I was going to play tennis, but they still put me in basketball and track," Gauff said.

"I ended up missing my All-Star game because I had to play the junior US Open. I made the finals of that tournament," she added.

Coco Gauff will be in action at the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart next, commencing her claycourt season at the WTA 500 event, which begins on April 15.