Coco Gauff will be back for another US Open title

NEW YORK — Coco Gauff knew changing into a back-to-back champion on the US Open could be arduous.

She was doubtless conscious that no lady had repeated on the event since Serena Williams gained her third straight a decade in the past. And Gauff knew she hadn’t arrived on the occasion with as a lot momentum as she had in 2023.

So after her first-round win Monday, Gauff sounded as if she have been virtually making ready herself for the likelihood that she would not do it — and attempting to take a number of the strain off her shoulders.

“Any individual commented on my TikTok and so they have been like, ‘You’ve got gained in life, actually and figuratively, and there is no level in piling strain on your self on a victory lap,'” Gauff stated. “I am simply treating this event like that. Should you defend one thing, meaning you gained one thing. Should you did it, meaning you are able to do it once more.

“So whether or not I do it once more this yr or not, I’m going to do it once more, whether or not it is 2024 or not — I’ll do it once more.”

On Sunday, enjoying towards Emma Navarro in entrance of a capability crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff had her hopes of a repeat title dashed within the fourth spherical. The 20-year-old dropped the opening set, and whereas she managed to power a decider, she merely could not overcome her poor serving. She had 19 double faults and wasn’t in a position to pull off one other signature comeback. After two hours and 12 minutes, she headed for the exits after a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss.

“Mentally I gave it, and emotionally, I gave it my all,” Gauff stated after the match with audible disappointment in her voice. “In fact, there have been issues execution-wise … clearly I want I might serve higher. I feel if I’d have executed that, it might have been a distinct story for me within the match. … So emotionally I’ve no regrets, however clearly I want I might execute issues higher.”

Gauff is certainly not the one favourite to face an early defeat on the US Open this yr. Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion and the 2022 victor in New York, was surprised in straight units within the second spherical. Novak Djokovic, the defending males’s champion, was eradicated the next evening within the spherical of 32. Each cited a scarcity of power after the extraordinary and grueling summer time schedule, which included a number of floor modifications and the Olympic Video games.

“I spent lots of power successful the gold, and I did arrive to New York simply not feeling recent mentally and bodily,” Djokovic stated. “However as a result of it is [the] US Open, you recognize, I gave it a shot and I attempted my finest. I imply, I did not have any bodily points. I simply felt out of gasoline, and you may see that with the best way I performed.”

Gauff, who was given the honour of carrying the American flag through the opening ceremony in Paris alongside LeBron James, performed in singles, doubles and blended doubles on the Video games. Whereas actually an expertise to recollect, it made for a dramatically totally different lead-in on the arduous courtroom previous to the US Open than she had in 2023.

Final season, Gauff was red-hot all through the summer time and gained the titles in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati. This yr, she arrived on the Canadian Open simply days after being bounced within the Olympics, went 1-2 in her two occasions, and misplaced within the opening spherical of her protection mission at Cincinnati.

However when requested if she felt psychological or bodily fatigue following the extraordinary calls for of the summer time, she did not wish to blame Sunday’s consequence on that.

“It is a powerful query as a result of I really feel like I felt prepared, and I felt bodily and mentally prepared, however for certain I feel in Toronto and Cincy, it was a bit bit mentally draining, these tournaments having to change surfaces,” Gauff stated. “It is powerful while you’re looking for your recreation. You are simply used to perhaps a sure sort of yr.

“However coming into this [tournament], I did not really feel any exhaustion. I used to be truly actually excited to play. Yeah, I did not really feel any sort of issues. I used to be simply able to go on courtroom. Even right this moment I felt able to go on courtroom. I used to be excited.”

Gauff had beforehand stated the fast departure in Cincinnati enabled her to have some good follow classes forward of the event, and he or she was dominant in her first-round win over Varvara Gracheva, permitting her opponent to win simply two video games within the match. However Gauff struggled early together with her serve in her second-round match towards Tatjana Maria within the scorching warmth Wednesday evening. Although she in the end gained the match, she had seven double faults within the first set — and it was an indication of what was to come back.

Gauff dropped the final 11 factors of the opening set towards former world No. 3 Elina Svitolina within the third spherical earlier than turning issues round. She raised her stage — bettering her serve and the remainder of her recreation — within the second and third units and got here away with the victory. She frolicked on the follow courts engaged on her serve following her second- and third-round matches.

However she merely could not discover a option to win Sunday. Navarro had upset Gauff within the fourth spherical at Wimbledon 6-3, 6-3 in July, and proved that consequence was no fluke.

Gauff, who had her finest main results of the yr with a semifinal look on the Australian Open, stated she wasn’t certain what the remainder of her season would appear like, however was wanting ahead to having time for a coaching block, her first since earlier than the clay season started. She stated she would take into account working with a mechanics coach and getting different opinions in hopes of resolving her serving woes going ahead.

“It is also simply sort of a psychological hurdle that I’ve to recover from,” she stated. “However, yeah, I undoubtedly wish to have a look at different issues as a result of I do not wish to lose matches like this anymore.”

So now, as an alternative of Gauff, it is Navarro who’s the lone remaining American consultant within the backside half of the draw. (Jessica Pegula, who’s on the opposite facet of the draw, is the one different American lady nonetheless in competition and performs her fourth-round match towards Diana Shnaider on Monday.)

It has been a breakthrough season for the 23-year-old Navarro, who began the yr at No. 38 and is now projected to crack the highest 10 for the primary time after Sunday’s win. She has had career-best appearances in any respect 4 Slams this yr, together with a fourth-round run on the French Open and her maiden main quarterfinal at Wimbledon earlier this summer time.

The 2021 NCAA singles champion at Virginia, Navarro gained her first WTA title at Hobart in January and was part of her first Olympic crew in Paris. Throughout her rise, she has impressed many in tennis, together with Williams, the 23-time main champion, who was in attendance for Sunday’s match.

“I like the range in Emma’s recreation,” Williams stated through the tv broadcast. “I by no means was a range participant, so each time I see somebody like her that slices the ball but additionally has lots of spin on her forehand, I actually admire that as a result of it is one thing I by no means actually did. She will be able to are available, she has nice palms, and he or she does all the things so effectively. She sees the courtroom, she has an enormous tennis IQ, and I like that.”

Navarro will subsequent tackle a resurgent Paula Badosa on Tuesday as each look to succeed in the primary main semifinal of their careers. Badosa, who was sidelined for a lot of the 2023 season with a again harm, defeated Navarro of their solely earlier assembly, however knew doing so once more could be a problem.

“She’s very, very gifted,” Badosa stated Sunday. “We had a really massive battle in Rome additionally [in May]. It was clay. It is totally different. However she’s enjoying very effectively. She’s been doing an excellent summer time, additionally, enjoying good matches. Additionally, I am anticipating a troublesome one there. Possibly I should be extra aggressive than her, and let’s have a look at the way it goes Tuesday.”

Navarro later known as Badosa a “nice participant” and praised her serving and groundstrokes. She advised reporters she hoped her expertise at Ashe on Sunday would assist her when the stakes have been even greater. Requested throughout her information convention about when she started to imagine she had an opportunity to win a Slam, Navarro stated she nonetheless could not absolutely imagine she was speaking about that risk now and known as it “fairly loopy.”

However on the courtroom, simply moments after the match, Navarro sounded extra sure about another person’s possibilities to win the US Open title sooner or later: Gauff.

In response to a query about reaching the quarterfinals, Navarro first echoed Gauff’s sentiments about her future on the event.

“Coco’s an incredible participant and I’ve a ton of respect for her,” Navarro stated on courtroom after the match. “I do know she’s going to come back again right here and win this factor once more one yr.”