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Tag: Coco Gauff

  • Coco Gauff knocked out of US Open

    Coco Gauff knocked out of US Open

    Teenager Coco Gauff is out of the US Open, losing in the first round to 31st seed Latvian Anastasija Sevastova.

    Coco lost 3-6 7-5 4-6.

    The young American favoured by book makers to go far in the tournament, fought from a set down, to force a decider.

    But she ultimately fell to the more composed player, who is ranked 45th in the WTA.

    Coco is 51st.

    This was the first time Coco will be thrown out of Grand Slam at the first rund.

    In her three previous Grand Slam appearances, she reached at least the third.

  • I had depression before Wimbledon, says U.S. tennis teenager

    I had depression before Wimbledon, says U.S. tennis teenager

    American teenager Coco Gauff says she struggled to deal with the hype and mental pressure brought on by her rapid rise in the tennis world.

    She said she had to rediscover her love for the game after becoming depressed.

    The Florida-based 16-year-old has enjoyed a sensational run on the professional circuit since July last year when she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in her first major championship appearance.

    She also reached the fourth round on her Australian Open debut this year, paving the way to breaking into the top 50 in the WTA rankings.

    Gauff was the first 15-year-old to do so in 15 years.

    “Throughout my life, I was always the youngest to do things, which added hype that I didn’t want,” she wrote in a post for Behind The Racquet.

    “It added this pressure that I needed to do well fast.

    “Right before Wimbledon, going back to around 2017/18, I was struggling to figure out if this was really what I wanted. I always had the results. So, that wasn’t the issue. I just found myself not enjoying what I loved.

    “I realised I needed to start playing for myself and not other people. For about a year, I was really depressed. That was the toughest year for me so far.”

    Gauff said she felt friendless due to her “dark mindset” and considered taking a year off just to focus on life.

    “Choosing not to obviously was the right choice, but I was close to not going in that direction. I was just lost,” she said. “I was confused and overthinking if this was what I wanted or what others did.

    “It took many moments sitting, thinking and crying. I came out of it stronger and knowing myself better than ever.”

    Gauff has already been touted as a long-term successor to Serena Williams at the top of U.S. women’s tennis.

    While she said she was getting used to people viewing her as a role model, she did not like being compared to Serena or her sister Venus.

    “First, I am not at their level yet. I always feel like it’s not fair to the Williams sisters to be compared to someone who is just coming up,” she added.

    “It just doesn’t feel right yet. I still look at them as my idols.

    “Of course I hope to get to where they are. But they are the two women that set the pathway for myself, which is why I can never be them.

    “I would never have even thought about joining tennis, without them a part of it, since there were very few African Americans in the sport.”

  • 15-year-old Coco Gauff ousts Naomi Osaka in Australian Open

    15-year-old Coco Gauff ousts Naomi Osaka in Australian Open

    Fifteen year-old American tennis sensation, Cori Gauff has ousted Australian Open defending champion, Naomi Osaka, defeating her in two sets 6-3 6-4 to equal her Grand Slam 4th round record.

    The two players had met in the third round of the US Open last September, in which Osaka prevailed and also had to play the nanny, consoling the younger player. Gauff had made the fourth round of the Wimbledon Grand Slam last year.

    The youngest player in the draw will play 14th seed Sofia Kenin of the United States or China’s Zhang Shuai.

    “Oh my gosh. Two years ago I lost the first round in the juniors and now I’m here — this is crazy,” said Gauff.

    “I was just telling myself one point at a time and just keep fighting because you never know what happens on this court.”

    This was the second instalment of a budding rivalry that could light up tennis for the next decade or more, having met at the US Open, where Osaka won easily.

    The teenager Gauff, who spent time training with Serena Williams in the off-season, had said she would be less nervous and more aggressive this time round.

    And so it proved as they rattled through the first five games in barely 15 minutes at the 15,000-capacity Rod Laver Arena.

    Osaka, a relative veteran at age 22, fired into the net to drop serve in game eight and then racked up more unforced errors in gifting Gauff the first set in 32 minutes.

    “Come on!” shouted Gauff, ranked 67 but fast making a name for herself as the most exciting prospect in women’s tennis.

    The young American carried the momentum into the first game of the second set, breaking a subdued and rattled Osaka, a two-time Grand Slam champion.

    The Japanese broke back for 1-1 when Gauff volleyed into the net, but it was a rare mistake by the American and she broke once more, before serving for the match at 5-4.

    The nerveless teenager clinched victory on the first match point when Osaka fired into the net.

    Gauff announced herself to the sporting world at Wimbledon last year when, as a qualifier, she stunned Venus Williams in the first round.

    She did the same thing to the seven-time Grand Slam champion on her Melbourne debut this week, then came back from a set and 3-0 down to defeat Sorana Cirstea on Wednesday.

    When Gauff and Osaka met five months ago in New York, also in round three, then-world number one Osaka crushed the tearful and overawed teenager 6-3, 6-0 in a little over an hour.

    That first clash was memorable also for what happened afterwards, when the teenager cried and Osaka consoled her, before Osaka herself began welling up.