Coco Gauff secured her place in the third round of the US Open, fighting back impressively to defeat Donna Vekić. She prevailed in straight sets, wrapping up the match at 7-6, 6-2. Gauff displayed extraordinary tenacity throughout the match. She aggressively battled not only her opponent but through her own serving challenges.
The final was held on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Gauff had to contend with the intense pressure of her audience, her nerves, and her game. It gets worse: Gauff leads the WTA Tour this season with 320 double faults. Even after serving up eight double faults throughout the match, she found a way to gut out a victory and triumphed. Incredibly, seven of these came during the first set, which rendered her serve a primary point of interest in the match.
Gauff’s problems with her serve have been an issue for the last few months. In the lead-up to the US Open, she started collaborating with TPI biomechanics guru Gavin MacMillan to fix those flaws. The difference was clear from the start as she grew into the match more and more, finding confidence in her game as the match went on.
Throughout that opening set, Gauff was visibly shaken. She shivered in her seat in between questions and struggled to hold back tears as the attack on the court mounted. She had a rough beginning, getting broken in three straight service games. But then she showed incredible poise, taking the first-set tiebreak—perhaps the most pivotal moment of the match—saving two set points along the way.
“It’s been tough doing it all over and kind of refactoring everything, a motion that I knew very well,” – Gauff
When the second set started, Gauff looked much more comfortable on court and closed the match out with authority. The jubilant, packed standing-room-only crowd exploded with jubilation at her victory. Gauff sent a shout-out to Simone Biles, who was always in the stands supporting her. Biles’s journey through mental health challenges resonated with Gauff, providing much-needed inspiration.
“It brought me a little bit of calm, just knowing her story with all the things she went through mentally, so she’s an inspiration for sure and her presence definitely did help me today,” – Gauff
Gauff, fighting tears in a post-match interview on the court, described how emotional she felt throughout the match. She thanked Biles for being a strong force of motivation. As the crowd rose to give her a standing ovation, Gauff couldn’t stop herself and started crying one more time.
“If she can go on a six-inch beam and do that under all the pressure of the world, then I can hit the ball on (this court),” – Gauff
Looking back on the match, Gauff said nerves played a big role in how she was playing out there. She stated, “I think it was just nerves and just pressure, honestly, and I’m someone that usually can thrive on that.” Individually, Gauff acknowledged that the last several weeks had been difficult for her both on and off the court.
“It was a challenging moment for me on the court. It’s been a tough couple of weeks on and off the court, but I’m just happy to get through it today.” – Gauff
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