Coco Gauff is gearing up to make history as she seeks to become the first woman to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles since Serena Williams achieved the feat from 2012 to 2014. However, the 20-year-old is not entering the tournament in stellar form.
Gauff will kick off her campaign on Monday against France’s Varvara Gracheva, following a challenging summer. Her recent performances included a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon against fellow American Emma Navarro and a third-round loss in the Olympics to Donna Vekic of Croatia, who went on to win a silver medal.
Things took a turn for the worse when Gauff suffered a third-round defeat in Toronto at the hands of Russia’s Diana Shnaider. She then struggled at the Cincinnati Open, where she registered nine double faults in a second-round loss to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva. Gauff had won this tournament the previous year, making these results disappointing.
Gauff is determined to regain her rhythm as she heads into this Grand Slam. “I’ll try to take the positive out of it, and do better next time,” she remarked.
With the U.S. Open set to unfold in New York, expectations are high for Gauff to replicate last year’s success, where she emerged victorious against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the final, marking her first Grand Slam title. Fans and analysts anticipate more achievements from her, and Gauff herself is aware of the long journey ahead in her career.
“I have time,” she acknowledged, expressing a desire to win now while also appreciating the longevity of her career ahead. “I’ve taken a step back and realize I have another 10 years in this sport, so I want to enjoy it.”
Gracheva, ranked 66th globally, is not perceived as a major threat, having lost in the first round of the past two U.S. Opens. However, she reached the fourth round of the French Open earlier this year and Gauff has already defeated her once, winning 6-1, 6-1 in their meeting in January at the Auckland quarterfinals.
Alongside Gauff, the second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka will also begin her U.S. Open journey on Monday against Australia’s Priscilla Hon. The eighth seed, Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova from the Czech Republic, is set to face Spain’s Marina Bassols Ribera, while top-seeded Iga Swiatek from Poland will open her title defense on Tuesday against Russian player Kamilla Rakhimova. Swiatek was the U.S. Open champion in 2022.