Coco Gauff swings, then steals the spotlight at the US Open

In the opening set of her third round match against Elise Mertens on Friday, Coco Gauff looked flawless and frustrated as if she was going to finish the tournament early, which was not the case earlier this week at the US Open.

Mertens, the 27-year-old Belgian, was playing loose and aggressive, while Gough, the 19-year-old American star, made error after error on almost every stroke. Gauff, who usually has extraordinary emotional maturity and composure, showed frustration throughout the early part of the match, screaming uncharacteristically after a double fault in the first set, which Mertens won 6-3.

It was suddenly easy to imagine Gauff’s US Open career coming to an end on this chilly New York evening.

Instead, Gove turned the ball around and turned the emotional tables on Mertens. She won the second set less shakily, 6-3, and by the third set, it was clear how much Gauff wanted to win, as she used her tremendous foot speed to track down every ball, forcing Mertens into errors. Gauff won the third set cleanly, 6-0.

Gauff said in her on-court interview: “The energy I had today definitely helped me. I felt like you were playing every point to the best of my ability.” “When you lose the first set, you know you have to show that you left all that energy in the first set and that you’re ready to play.”

Goff said that “the three guys are showing everybody that I’m not going to lose without a fight”.

The early night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium drew a packed crowd that included pop star Justin Bieber and his wife, model and influencer Hailey Bieber, along with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and actress Katie Holmes.

The audience has been unbalanced for Goff since tonight’s opening transmission. Chants of “Let’s go Coco” and “Finish it Coco” resounded throughout the stadium. The crowd jumped to their feet and fans cheered each other on every positive turn for Gauff, although progress was slow until the second set.

Friday Marked for the third time The two faced each other, with Gauff winning their most recent meeting in straight sets at the 2022 French Open. Gauff admitted in a pre-match interview that she won their last encounter with ease, and she wasn’t expecting to win so easily this time.

Shortly after the first set, it seemed almost certain that Mertens would advance to the round of 16. Then things turned around.

Gauff lost the first game of the second set, then struggled hard to hold serve after six deuce points. And on the sixth day, I hit a crushing blow in the middle and shouted “Come on!” It was her fourth ace of the match at that point. As the match wore on, she hit a risky backhand and when Mertens curled a backhand cross-court, Gauff pounced, ran to the ball and then leapt into the air to crush it down the line with her forehand.

When she clinched the second set with a backhand down the line, she pumped her fist and extended her arms, inviting the crowd to cheer for her. Mertens looked hopeless.

Gauff started the third set strongly as Mertens’ match fell apart completely. She scored forehands and hit long backhands and double-faulted.

Gauff will play in the next round with Caroline Wozniacki, who recently returned to tennis after retiring three years ago to focus on building a family. Wozniacki made an impressive start to the tournament, defeating Petra Kvitova in straight sets in her first round match and Jennifer Brady in three sets, after trailing by one set, in her second round match.

Gauff said she told Wozniacki when she retired that she wished she had the opportunity to play with her. “This wish has come true,” she said. “Playing a legend like her is really exciting and I wouldn’t take this moment for granted.”

Gauff, who looked like a veteran as she beat Mertens in the third set, was quick to remind us that she’s still a teenager.

In an interview at ESPN’s office inside Ashe after the match, Gauff said she noticed Bieber in the crowd during the second set.

“Oh yeah, I definitely saw who was there,” she said, laughing. “I thought I couldn’t lose to Justin Bieber. I never lost a match after I saw that. I felt a little nervous when I first saw it, and then I remembered that President Obama and Michelle Obama were in my match in the first round.”