Coco Gauff took the tennis world by storm when she won the U.S. Open on American soil in September.
Now, she’s ready to take her talents to China.
Coco Gauff of the United States poses for photographs after defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the women’s singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Sept. 9, 2023, in New York. (Photo by John Minchillo/AP)
Gauff won her first match at the China Open, beating Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 6-3. It was Gauff’s first match since she won the U.S. Open and her 13th straight win.
Gauff, the world’s No. 3 ranked player, toured Bejing before starting play.
“I’ve never been to China before, so it’s really cool to experience these different things,” Gauff said in a video released by the Women’s Tennis Association on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I appreciate the Chinese people … for allowing me to be a part of this experience.”
The 19-year-old told the WTA Insider that after her U.S. Open win, she celebrated with friends and family in Florida, took a week off, and relaxed. She said the week off “is the longest I’ve ever taken off from tennis. It was a little bit weird having nothing to do.”
Now, she’s ready to get back to work.
After her short respite, she got “right back to training and back to getting back to work.” Gauff said a week was “a long time” for her to take off and she was “eager to get back” to playing tennis.
Gauff continues her quest for another title when she plays world No. 14-ranked Petra Martic of Croatia on Tuesday. The China Open runs through Oct. 8.
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