Coco Gauff Off to Strong Start at US Open
After disappointing results at Wimbledon and the Olympics, Coco Gauff is off to a strong start in her title defense at the US Open. Gauff opened play on Monday with a 6-2, 6-0 win over France’s Varvara Gracheva in the first round at Flushing Meadows.
Gauff spoke about the pressure of returning to the US Open as reigning champion, saying, “If you defend something, that means you won something. If you did it, that means you can do it again. Whether I do it again this year or not, I’m gonna do it again. Whether it’s 2024 or not, I will do it again.”
Gauff secured the victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the site of her last US Open win, a three-set thriller over Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s championship final. That win secured the first Grand Slam title of Gauff’s career, catapulting the once-rising star into certified star status at 19 years old.
Sloane Stephens Blows 6-0, 3-0 Lead
Day 1 didn’t go nearly as well for 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, who opened up a 6-0, 3-0 lead over France’s Clara Burel only to lose the match. Stephens appeared in full control under the primetime lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium while winning the first nine games of the first-round match. But once Burel got on the board, the match took a dramatic turn in her favor. She won seven of the next nine games to force a decisive third set.
Other Notable US Results from Monday
In the only match other than Gauff’s involving a seeded US woman, No. 14 seed Madison Keys defeated Siniakova, 6-4, 6-1.
On the men’s side, unseeded American Brandon Nakashima upset No. 15 seed Holger Rune (Denmark) in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. No. 20 seed Frances Tiafoe beat fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz beat Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli, 7-5, 6-1, 6-2, and No. 13 seed Ben Shelton defeated 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem of Austria, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, in Thiem’s final US Open. Thiem announced in May that he would retire at the end of the 2024 season.
In one of the matches of the day, France’s Arthur Rinderknech won via a tiebreak in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8) thriller over USA’s Christopher Eubanks.
