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Ahead of Coco Gauff ‘battle’, Naomi Osaka +15 makes another rankings breakthrough

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Coco Gauff Naomi Osaka

Former world No 1 Osaka started the 2024 season outside the top 800 in the rankings after missing the entire 2023 season as she gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Shai.

She didn’t set the world alight on her return to action in January, but she has continued to put in the hard yards and she is starting to reap the rewards.

The 26-year-old has followed up her three-set win over 21st seed Yuli Putintseva with a 6-3, 6-2 win over world No 60th Katie Volynets.

Naomi Osaka Says Coco Gauff Will Win Major: 'Only a Matter of Time' - Business Insider

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Having kicked off the WTA 1000 event at No 73, Osaka is set to jump to No 58 after the tournament and there could be another surge if she gets past Gauff.

“For me, I wanted to keep growing from my last match,” the four-time Grand Slam winner told the official WTA Tour website. “I was just trying to be really aggressive from the beginning. …I felt like I really shouldn’t care too much about my unforced errors rather than just keeping her on the move.”

Fourth seed Gauff reached the last 16 with a two-set defeat of Katie Boulter and Osaka highlighted her rival’s big strength.

“She’s very athletic obviously. For me, my strongest traits are being aggressive and also my serve,” the Japanese player said.

“So it’s definitely going to be a battle – who wants to take control of the point first? And I think it’s going to be me.”

She added: “I think it’s going to be a really cool test for me. She’s played really well this year. … I’m excited to play the match, and I know people are excited to watch the match.”

World No 2 Aryna Sabalanka is also safely into the fourth round after she defeated Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-2 for her 14th consecutive win.

The three-time Grand Slam winner won the Cincinnati Open and US Open ahead of the Asian swing and will next face Madison Keys.

With world No 1 Iga Swiatek skipping the China Open, Sabalenka’s latest win has helped her to reduce the Pole’s lead at the top of the WTA Rankings to 1,164 points. If she wins the title, then the lead will be just over 200 points.

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Coco Gauff reveals ‘focus’ for improvement as she unveils new coach

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Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff has revealed she is “really excited” after confirming that Matt Daly has become her new coach.

Gauff recently split with Brad Gilbert after a 14-month partnership during which she won the US Open in 2023, but suffered a notable dip in form across this summer.

The US star has now revealed that she is working with Daly, who has joined forces with J.C Farrell to help coach the 20-year-old across the rest of the season and into 2025.

Coco Gauff Focused On Serving Up Goods Under New Coach Matt Daly

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Former collegiate star Daly, 45, most recently coached ATP Tour star Denis Shapovalov.

“I’m really excited,” said Gauff, speaking to WTA Insider.

“I think this is probably what it will look like next year too. I’m super excited for a new change and hopefully to improve other parts of my game.

“Working with Brad was really great and obviously we had a great partnership. I think it was just time to do a reset, a refresh, and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year.”

A key fixation in the American’s game recently has been her serve, particularly her second serve.

Gauff hit 19 doubles faults during her US Open fourth round defeat to compatriot Emma Navarro back earlier in September, a result that saw the then-world No 2 fall out of the top five of the WTA Rankings.

She is in action for the first time since then at the China Open in Beijing, seeded fourth in the single draw, and has revealed improving her serve has been a significant priority.

She added: “There are other parts of my game that I want to work on, too, but the focus right now is the serve. When I serve well, I play pretty well. For me, that’s the basis for my game.

“Already, the little bit we’ve done has made a drastic improvement to where I was three weeks ago,” she said.

“At this point, there’s not a crazy amount, like going through a whole technique change or resetting everything. It’s just subtle things that, doing it for a week now, will help me.”

Gauff begins her China Open campaign on Friday against French star Clara Burel, having received an opening round bye at the WTA 100 event.

She reached the last four at the event a year ago, losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals.

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US Open: Serena Williams addresses calls to ‘change’ Coco Gauff’s forehand and serve

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US Open Serena Williams Coco Gauff

Serena Williams has shared her thoughts on whether Coco Gauff should make changes to her forehand and serve as the American exited the 2024 US Open. 

The tennis icon thinks the Gauff serve “can obviously be better”, but argued her compatriot does not need to adjust her forehand as she highlighted “confidence” as the key.

Gauff’s US Open title defence came to an end with a 3-6, 6-4, 3-6 loss to world No 12 Emma Navarro in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.

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The 20-year-old star was hamstrung by serving issues in the match as she made only 46% of her first serves and hit 19 double faults.

The American’s forehand, meanwhile, is a shot some analysts have identified as a weakness she must improve throughout her career to date.

During the world No 3’s defeat to Navarro, Williams was asked if Gauff needs to make any technical changes to her serve or forehand.

“I feel like she has a good serve,” the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion told ESPN. “I think that it can obviously be better, but I feel like she’s so young. She has the rest of her career to just improve.

“I wouldn’t change anything on her forehand. I’ve seen a lot of interesting forehands. And listen, if you’re just confident in whatever you have, keep it up, and just be confident about it.

“That’s literally all she needs to do is just have confidence, whether she’s hitting it with her wrist or elbow. Just have confidence doing it.”

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Coco Gauff makes admission about ‘collapsing mentally on court’ ahead of Emma Navarro rematch

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Coco Gauff US Open

Coco Gauff came through a tough three-setter against Elina Svitolina to set up a fascinating rematch with Emma Navarro at the US Open and she acknowledged ahead of the clash that she will “need to bring it and mentally”.

Defending champion Gauff made a sluggish start against Svitolina in the third round as she looked to be on her way out after she lost the first set and found herself break point down in the second set.

But she held her serve and broke in the sixth game before dominating the deciding set for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in what was her 10th consecutive win at the US Open.

Coco Gauff Emma Navarro US Open

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Up next is fellow American Navarro, who defeated Gauff at Wimbledon just over a month ago.

The 20-year-old was world No 2 at the time and was the heavy favourite, but she was never at the races as her compatriot came away with a 6-4, 6-2 win.

“With Emma, I feel like that match at Wimbledon I think I mentally just literally collapsed on the court. I was very frustrated, and she played well. That was, I think to me, the best tennis she played, like that tournament,” she explained.

“Obviously, I didn’t see her first round, but I watched a little bit her second and third. I think that was like the best she played that week.

“Yeah, so I think going into this match, I have to expect her to play her best tennis, and I just need to know that I need to bring it and mentally be there from the beginning to the end because she’s going to be a tough opponent.”

Gauff is looking to become the first player since Serena Williams won three in a row from 2012 to 2014 to successfully defend her title.

But she knows there is still a long way to go in the tournament and needs to keep the expectations to a minimum.

“At the end of the day, to defend would be great,” the third seed said. “But I feel like it’s an unnecessary amount of pressure to put that on yourself. When you step on the court, you just have that feeling. It’s like, ‘OK, I know I can perform really well here. I’ve done it before in the past, and I’ll do it again.’

“That’s been my motto. I know I have the chance to do it again, whether it happens 2024 or years in the future, I think I have the belief that I will do it again.”

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Coco Gauff bringing the vibes again as she makes confession about ‘feeling off’ before US Open

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Coco Gauff US Open

Coco Gauff kicked off her US Open title defence in impressive fashion as she brushed aside Varvara Gracheva and she admitted afterwards that she is “feeling good” again following her recent struggles.

The American’s preparations for the final Grand Slam of the year were far from ideal as she lost in the third round of the Paris Olympics, going down in the round of 16 at the Canadian Open before her Cincinnati Open title defence came to an end in the second round.

Gauff slipped to No 3 in the WTA Rankings with Aryna Sabalenka moving ahead and many pundits have written off her chances of successfully defending her title.

Coco Gauff begins her US Open title defense with an easy win over Varvara Gracheva

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Yet there were no signs that her confidence was low during her clash against Gracheva as she won 6-2, 6-0 in just 66 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“There is definitely a lot of pressure at this tournament, but I am just enjoying it,” she during her on-court interview. “Last year was incredible so I am just bringing those vibes this year. Whatever happens, happens.”

During the post-match press conference, she admitted that she “felt off” during her recent tournaments, especially at Cincinnati.

“I wasn’t surprised about my level because I was practicing really well this week. It was a really good practice week. I was just telling myself that I’m ready, that I had a great practice week,” the third seed said.

“I feel like I’m finding my game, whereas the other two tournaments that I played, at, even the practice sessions that I was doing … it was just, I just felt off. So this week, I just felt like I was really finding my game. So I was confident going in today. I knew based on how I was practicing, I can find my game regardless of the scoreline. Then it’s just about executing.”

Losing early in Cincinnati meant Gauff was able to spend more time on the practice court and it appears to have paid off as she had a better feel for the game.

The 20-year-old, who faces Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the second round, added: “I think just execution … decision making too. I think sometimes I could rush out of points faster than I need, and then there were times where I felt like in Cincinnati where, I don’t know, it was just so weird that shots I feel like I could make with my eyes closed.

“I was just messing, and today I was making those shots, I was like, okay, I know the ball’s going where I want it to go. So I was, okay, I feel good. [The] first round for me can sometimes set the tone for a tournament, whether you’re playing well or not, but just kind of the mentality going in.

“So I think I had a good mentality. Is this going to say I’m going to play great the next couple matches, yes or no? But I think the mentality I have going into this week will be there, and hopefully the execution stays there.”

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[VIDEO] US Open 2024: More Pressure on Coco Gauff to Defend

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Coco Gauff 2024 US Open

The US Open is here, and with it comes a wave of excitement and anticipation that sweeps through tennis fans worldwide. But with all that excitement, there’s also a hefty dose of pressure, especially for the local favorite, Coco Gauff.

As the American sensation steps onto the court, she’s not just playing for herself—she’s carrying the hopes and expectations of millions. The buzz around her is electric, but with the buzz comes the weight of responsibility.

In a video shared by the official X account of the US Open, several fans can be seen predicting the title winner. On the men’s side, there seemed to be a draw between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, with several fans supporting either of the two as the probable title contender. But on the women’s side, Gauff emerged as the clear favorite. Although the names of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek can also be heard in the video, the number of people backing them is very few.

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Gauff has not witnessed a remarkable season in the American hard-court swing this year, so far. She was ousted in her second match of the Canadian Open, where she faced a defeat from Diana Shnaider. Similar situations unfolded for the star player at the Cincinnati Masters, where she was baffled in her opening match itself, against Yulia Putinsteva. But despite the setbacks, Gauff has found great support from her fans and well-wishers ahead of the US Open.

For Gauff, this support comes at a time when the star player herself admitted the increased pressure on her shoulders. Remember, the 20-year-old would be entering the US Open as the defending champion and hence, expectations from her to win the title are immense. Gauff reflected upon this and said, “Obviously, coming in as defending champion is a little bit of pressure, but also more of a privilege, because as my new motto is: If you defend, that means you won something before.”

But the major question that emerges amidst the support is: Can Gauff rise to the occasion? While the increased anticipation might result in increased pressure, the American star opened up about her form ahead of the US Open.

Coco Gauff might have underperformed at the American hardcourt swing this season so far, but that does not nullify the challenge that she would be posing for her opponents. Ahead of the final grand slam of the year, Gauff revealed that she is well-poised and is having great practice sessions.

Speaking in the pre-tournament presser, the reigning US Open champion said, “The last couple of practices have gone really well, which before, like, during Cincinnati wasn’t having great practices, in Toronto wasn’t having great practices. Here I’m having great practices, which, you know, doesn’t mean I’m going to go out on the match and play great, but it does give you more confidence when you’re actually practicing great the week before a tournament, yeah.”

With Gauff’s first match less than 24 hours away, it would be interesting to see if her intense practice sessions amalgamated with the support she is receiving help her win big at the US Open. Can she defend her title?

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Coco Gauff: Finishing late can really ruin your tournament but US Open taking positive steps

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Coco Gauff US Open

Coco Gauff believes that a really late finish can ruin a Grand Slam run for a player although she hasn’t experienced one herself.

She added that men are much more likely to endure a late finish given that they play five-setters.

The US Open has had quite a few really late finishes notably in 2022 when Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in a five-set quarter-final that lasted more than five hours and concluded at 2:50 am, the latest finish in tournament history.

El sueño de Cori Gauff en el Miami Open 2024

READ: Scars Still Fresh for Coco Gauff as She Reacts to the US Open Implementing Latest Technology Demanded by Her

“Yeah, so I’ve never actually had a super late finish just because I’ve just been lucky that either the match will go super fast or anything like that.

“But obviously I do think that finishing late can really ruin your tournament, especially, like, on the guys’ side when they, you know, if they go on at, like, 11:00 or 12:00, you know, max maybe the longest a women’s match will go two hours or three hours, but men’s can go, like, five.”

The US Open has announced that they would not be enforcing a curfew during this year’s competition, but they have decided to loosen their rules on match scheduling.

The Arthur Ashe evening session starts at 19:00 local time, and the tournament this year will follow suit.

The USTA has, however, officially said that in the event that matches are not underway by 11:15 p.m., the tournament referee will have greater discretion in deciding whether to transfer them to different courts for as long as this is feasible.

Gauff believes that is a step in the right direction from the US Open.

“I think for me I think I heard US Open this year if you’re going to start after 11:00 they’re going to move your court. I think that’s a good initiative to start. You may win that match that day but your sleep schedule and everything is completely messed up for the rest of the tournament. So it does put that person at a disadvantage,” Gauff reasoned.

“So I think right now with that new policy, I think that’s the best way to address it. I mean, we won’t know until we test a lot of things, but I think this is a good start.”

Gauff said that she doesn’t feel much different returning to Flushing Meadows as the reigning champion and her on-site preparation has felt the same.

“Not really, because I feel like I was in a crazy position last year where there was a lot surrounding me, like, before this, even before I was a Grand Slam champion,” She said when asked how if felt to come back as a winner.

“So, you know, I had basically the same busy pre-week this week as I had last year pre-week of US Open.

“So I think that’s where it was a little bit easier coming into all of this as a Grand Slam champion because of, like, the gradual rise I’ve had in this sport when it came to the amount of attention I was getting.

“Honestly, this week hasn’t been much different, other than people saying I’m the defending champion, but other than that, I feel like it’s been the same amount of attention and same amount of sponsor commitments and all that.”

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Scars Still Fresh for Coco Gauff as She Reacts to the US Open Implementing Latest Technology Demanded by Her

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Coco Gauff US Open

Controversies on the tennis court? Oh, they’re as old as the game itself! But nothing frustrates a player more than a dubious call from the umpire, especially when there’s no way to challenge it.

Just ask Coco Gauff, who’s had her fair share of these gut-wrenching moments. But this time, she can breathe a sigh of relief. The US Open organizers have decided to roll out the VAR system more extensively, meaning those questionable calls might finally have some backup.

The American tennis sensation engaged in a pre-tournament presser, ahead of her campaign at the US Open. She expressed her happiness over the expansion of the Video Assistant Review (VAR) technology, which was initially introduced in the previous edition of the tournament.

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Speaking in the interview, Gauff highlighted the fact that many other sports, despite not being as financially backed as tennis, have a video review system. “I definitely think that, you know, it should be, especially at the slams, it should be here and 1000 tournaments.” While Gauff acknowledged that the facility should be present in every tournament, she shared that it should begin with important events like the slam.

“US Open had it last year. I didn’t have to use it. Hopefully I won’t have to use it this year, but I think it’s a great thing.” Continuing further, she reflected upon the agony that players go through in the absence of such technologies. “You know, the worst is when you get apologized to afterwards, and it’s kind of just like, thanks, but, you know, what is that going to do for me now? I think it’ll just hold everybody accountable.”  For the unversed, the US Open organizers have decided to extend the facility to eight courts this season.

This development is poised to enhance the fairness of the competition. It would also minimize the frustration of players that emerge from controversial umpiring decisions. Gauff, meanwhile, has been at the center of such controversies time and again. In this year’s French Open, Coco Gauff expressed her anger over the absence of a video review system in tennis.

In the second set of the match, Iga Swiatek’s serve was called out just as Gauff hit her return long. But when the umpire overruled the call and awarded the point to Swiatek, Gauff furiously insisted that she hit her return after the ball had already been called out. “I think tennis is the only sport where not only we don’t have the VR system, but a lot of times the decisions are made by one person,” she said after the match. Similar scenes unfolded for her at the Paris Olympics.

Gauff faced Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the third round of the Paris Olympics. A shot by Vekic in the second set was called out by the line umpire. Coco perceived that she won the point and hit the ball out herself. The American was made to suffer with Vekic being awarded the point. The 20-year-old was seen engaging in a heated debate with the umpire and crying her heart out. “This isn’t fair, I’ve been cheated,” she said. But with the US Open once again introducing the system, Gauff definitely can be less worried. However, she is not the only player to have demanded such changes in the sport.

The controversial call saga from umpires was witnessed in the recently concluded Cincinnati Masters as well. During the R16 match Felix Auger-Aliassime hit a shot, which touched the court before Jack Draper attempted his volley. Despite Draper’s return touching his side of the court first, the umpire missed noticing it and awarded the point to Draper, ultimately leading to Aliassime’s exit from the tournament. This seemed to make Nole furious.

Taking to his X, Novak Djokovic wrote, “It’s embarrassing that we don’t have video replay of these kind of situations on the court. What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t have the rule in place that would allow chair umpires to change the original call based on the video review that happens off the court.” 

The tennis community has resonated with the demand for VRS time and again. With the US Open actually implementing it, it would be interesting to see how much can Coco Gauff and other players benefit out of it.

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Emma Raducanu gets daunting US Open draw as Iga Swiatek faces big rivals

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Emma Raducanu Iga Swiatek

World No 1 Iga Swiatek has been handed a challenging draw at the US Open, with potential matches against Jessica Pegula and Danielle Collins in her quarter of the draw.

Swiatek could face a run of matches that includes a fourth round clash against rising star Mirra Andreeva, who pushed her all the way in a compelling contest in Cincinnati last week.

Pegula or Collins could then lie in wait in the quarter-finals, with Eleyna Rybakina a possible semi-final opponent before a showdown with Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Emma Raducanu Iga Swiatek

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Meanwhile, 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu has been handed a daunting draw at the US Open as she seeks her first win in New York since winning the title in 2021.

The 21-year-old shocked the world when she won at Flushing Meadows three years ago but lost in the first round in 2022 and then missed last year with injury.

The draw has been unkind to the British No 2, who has drawn former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, currently ranked 55th, in the first round.

If she wins that then American sixth seed Jessica Pegula is likely to be waiting in the second round before a possible all-British third round tie against Katie Boulter.

Raducanu has been criticised for taking time away from tennis ahead of the US Open and former British No 1 Tim Henman told Tennis365 those snipes are misplaced.

“There is almost a borderline obsession about different elements of her game and where she is going wrong,” Sky Sports Tennis analyst Henman told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview.

“She hasn’t played in Canada and Cincinnati over the last few weeks… big deal!

“It’s two tournaments out of 52 weeks, she has played plenty of tournaments this year and she is top 50 in the WTA Race.

“She is continuing to build and get fitter, stronger and faster. Her game is fantastic. She will be top 20 or top 30 before long, so we need to stop this level of scrutiny.”

Defending women’s champion Coco Gauff begins against Varvara Gracheva and she could face No 2 seed Sabalenka if they both get through to the semi-finals.

Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova could be a last eight opponent for Gauff, but she will be relieved to be in the opposite half of the draw to Swiatek.

Meanwhile, there is a blockbusting meeting of former grand slam champions as Naomi Osaka takes on Jelena Ostapenko.

Former British No 1 Tim Henman gave Tennis365 his verdict on the women’s draw, as he prepares to play a central role in the Sky Sports Tennis team at the US Open.

“I think Swiatek has to be the favourite,” added Henman.

“She played so well in the Slams, but there will be so many players in the women’s draw who fancy their chances.

“Coco Gauff is defending champion, Sabalenka will be in there, I’d love to see Ons Jabeur win one and I’d also keep an eye out on Jes Pegula.”

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Coco Gauff fires back at fan questioning her knowledge of university life

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Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff recently responded to a fan who asked how she knows what a university campus is like while she was sharing her experience in the Olympic Village.

The 2023 US Open champion clarified that she has friends her age who are university students.
The American No. 1 was sharing her experience in the Paris 2024 Olympic Village, where around 14,000 athletes were housed while participating in the tournament, although several chose to stay in nearby hotels for reasons such as comfort, logistics, etc.
However, Gauff decided to stay in the Olympic Village to fully experience being part of Team USA’s delegation at the Olympic Games. While speaking in an interview with Tennis Channel last Friday, Gauff described her days in the Olympic Village and compared it to a university campus.
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A fan commented, questioning how she knows what a university campus is like, but the American had a response for that: “I’m a 20-year-old who is friends with other 20-year-olds who are not all pro athletes. Not too hard to put together,” Gauff responded.
The world No. 3 began her professional career at 14 in 2018, and her family opted for homeschooling while trying to balance the demands of her tennis career with her high school studies. She finally completed high school in 2022 through Florida’s online education program.
In the video shared by Tennis Channel, Gauff described her experience in the Olympic Village: “I decided to stay because I really was fine. I thought it would have been more of a hassle for me to pack up all my stuff and move, and I was just having a good time in the village. I met some friends. The track team was super nice to me; I was hanging out with them the days that I was there,” Gauff said.
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