Gauff arguably faced her biggest challenge as she was up against the No 1 ranked tennis player Naomi Osaka in a third-round matchup at the US Open stage.
Naomi Osaka of Japan hits a return to Coco Gauff of the US during their Round Three wWomen's Singles match at the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on August 31, 2019. (Photo by Don Emmert / AFP)
American Cori “Coco” Gauff has already proven that the Grand slam competition is not too tough for a 15-year-old. After bagging a couple of thrilling wins in the US Open, she had emerged as one of the crowd favourites and made a separate fan base for herself. On Saturday night, Gauff arguably faced her biggest challenge as she was up against the No 1 ranked tennis player Naomi Osaka in a third-round matchup at the US Open stage.
“I’m just curious to see how my game matches up against her,” Gauff had said ahead of her match.
“Obviously I want to win,” she had added.
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However, as it turned out, Cori Gauff who might emerge as one of the best players of tennis is still very much a work in progress. Osaka won the match eventually in just one hour and five minutes.
Post the match, Coco Gauff was in tears. Osaka then asked her to join her for her on-court post-match interview. Gauff also expressed her gratitude towards the Japanese tennis player.
Osaka addressed Gauff’s family and friends explaining how Florida produced two girls who are competing at one of the grandest stages of Tennis.
“Coco, I think you are amazing,” Osaka said.
Gauff recalled a practice session from 2013 when Gauff was only 13.
“That was super cool. I was able to keep the ball on the court. I was super nervous,” Gauff said.
Osaka will be up against Belinda Bencic in the next round of the US Open.
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