American tennis star Coco Gauff begins defense of her U.S. Open crown with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 first-round win over Varvara Gracheva from France.
“I thought I played well today,” Gauff said after her win on Aug. 26. “I served well. Can’t ask for a better start into this tournament, so [I’m] hoping to continue to get better as the week, two weeks, go by.”
Gauff admitted to initially being nervous before her first match.
“I walked on court, and I initially waved. Then I got nervous because I saw how big the crowd was — and then I looked down,” she admitted. “That was my honest thoughts. Once I started the warm-up, I was fine.”
Gauff compared what she did at the Open to some of her recent less-than-stellar tournaments.
“There are times where I feel like [at the Cincinnati Masters] —I don’t know. It was just so weird that shots I feel like I could make with my eyes closed I was just missing, and today I was making those shots,” she explained. “I was like, okay, I know when the ball’s going where I want it to go. So I feel good.”
In other U.S. Open matches on Aug. 26, Ben Shelton, who played in Arthur Ashe Stadium before Gauff, had an impressive 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem. Shelton was asked why he believes Gauff is so popular.
“I think first of all, the name is Coco, right?” he joked. “It’s something that sticks in your mind. I mean, shout-out to [her parents] Corey and Candi Gauff, because I think the name is half of it. It’s a name that you remember.
“Then, she’s charismatic, such a great athlete, so many qualities out there on the court that resemble a male player,” Shelton continued. “The way that she moves, the way that she can defend. You just see something from her that’s special and different. Then obviously she plays with a lot of passion. You could tell that she cares out there. She’s into it every time that she’s on the court. I think that’s something that the people love.”
When Gauff was told of Shelton’s response about her name, she countered by acknowledging that her birth name is Cori and his is Benjamin.
Gauff will take on Spaniard Tatjana Maria on Aug. 28 for a chance to advance to the round of 32.
Two-time U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka takes on No. 10 Jeļena Ostapenko from Latvia on Aug. 27.
