Coco Gauff displayed the fighting spirit of a Grand Slam tennis champion at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday 26 August, recovering from a tricky second set to sneak past Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-7 (2-7) and 7-5 at the 2025 US Open.
The two-time Grand Slam singles champion punched her ticket to the second round of the final Grand Slam of the year in electric fashion, clinching the third and decisive set with a masterful forehand swing, much to the approval of the partisan crowd gathered around centre court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“It was a tough match,” admitted the world no. 3 during an on-court interview. “I had chances for it to be straight sets, but Ajla was tough.”
“It wasn’t the best, but I’m happy to get through to the next round.”
Advancing to the second round of the 2025 US Open, the 21-year-old American tennis star will hope to draw inspiration from her first Grand Slam singles title, which she won at Flushing Meadows in 2021.
She’ll certainly welcome the wisdom gained from that experience, as she faces Croatia’s Donna Vekic – silver medallist in women’s singles at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 – in a hotly-anticipated second round duel.
More to follow…