She was defeated by Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-0 on Saturday (Aug. 31st), but as Vox points out, 15-year-old Coco Gauff remains one of the most exciting stories to emerge from this year’s US Open — the next great American tennis star, capable of carrying on the legacy of Venus and Serena Williams.
Blessed with both physical skills and mental toughness, Gauff is one of the sport’s most promising young players, and at 5’10”, her height provides an advantage with serving and groundstrokes. “I don’t think I have to win the point as many times against anyone as against her,” Timea Babos, who lost to Gauff in the second round at the US Open, said in her post-match interview.
Vox also cited Pam Shriver’s comments about Gauff’s mental game. “What impressed me is that she took care of the biggest points with understanding of the importance of that point,” Shriver said. “You can’t really say that most of the time about the young, powerful, athletic players through decades.”
Gauff earned international attention in July when she beat the likes of Venus Williams to advance all the way to the fourth round of Wimbledon. Though she won’t be repeating the feat at the US Open this year, her loss to Osaka provided a valuable learning experience thanks in part to Osaka’s sportsmanship. After the match, the 23-year-old hugged Gauff and asked her to share her encore interview.
“I’m going to learn a lot from this match,” Gauff said through tears. “She’s been so sweet to me, so thank you for this. Thank you.”
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