After disappointing results at Wimbledon and the Olympics, Coco Gauff is off to a strong start in her title defense at the US Open.
Gauff opened play on Monday with a 6-2, 6-0 win over France’s Varvara Gracheva in the first round at Flushing Meadows.
The match wasn’t quite as lopsided as the score. Gracheva put pressure on in each of Gauff’s first three service games, forcing six break points. But Gauff survived them all and broke Gracheva twice en route to winning the first set.
Gauff then broke Gracheva’s first service game of the second set to take complete control of the match. Gracheva didn’t win another game.
After the match, Gauff spoke about the pressure of returning to the US Open as reigning champion.
“If you defend something, that means you won something,” Gauff said. “If you did it, that means you can do it again. Whether I do it again this year or not, I’m gonna do it again. Whether it’s 2024 or not, I will do it again.”
Gauff secured the victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the site of her last US Open win — a three-set thriller over Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s championship final. That win secured the first Grand Slam title of Gauff’s career, catapulting the once-rising star into certified star status at 19 years old.
Gauff went on to her best career finish at the Australian Open with a trip to the semifinals in January. She then advanced to the semifinals at the French Open and secured her first Grand Slam doubles title at Roland Garros while playing with Czechia’s Katerina Siniakova.
She entered Wimbledon as the No. 2 seed but fell in straight sets to fellow American and No. 19 seed Emma Navarro in the fourth round. She then lost in the third round of the Olympics in an emotional match against Croatia’s Donna Vekić.
The loss didn’t dampen her Olympic spirit. Voted by fellow U.S. Olympians as the nation’s Opening Ceremony flag bearer alongside LeBron James, Gauff wore a pendant of the Olympic rings around her neck during Monday’s US Open match.
She’ll enter the second round with a strong win under her belt as the No. 3 seed. She’ll face Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the second round on Wednesday.
Day 1 didn’t go nearly as well for 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, who opened up a 6-0, 3-0 lead over France’s Clara Burel only to lose the match.
Stephens appeared in full control under the primetime lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium while winning the first nine games of the first-round match. But once Burel got on the board, the match took a dramatic turn in in her favor. She won seven of the next nine games to force a decisive third set.
Both players took a break after the second set, and Stephens appeared to have regrouped after a trip to the locker room. She broke Burel’s opening serve of the third set then held for a 2-0 lead. But Burel battled back in a final set that featured six breaks.
Burel broke Stephens’ second serve to tie the set at 2-2. Stephens broke back for a 3-2 lead. Burel would break back again to tie the set at 4-4. Stephens returned the favor with another break to serve for the match, leading 5-4.
But Burel answered once more with the match on the line to tie it at 5-5. Stephens was out of breaks. Burel won the last two games to secure a 0-6, 7-5, 7-5 win to stun the American in a matchup of unseeded players.
In the only match other than Gauff’s involving a seeded U.S. woman, No. 14 seed Madison Keys defeated Siniakova, 6-4, 6-1.
On the men’s side, unseeded American Brandon Nakashima upset No. 15 seed Holger Rune (Denmark) in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. No. 20 seed Frances Tiafoe beat fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz beat Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli (7-5, 6-1, 6-2), and No. 13 seed Ben Shelton defeated 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem of Austria (6-4, 6-4, 6-2) in Theim’s final US Open. Thiem announced in May that he would retire at the end of the 2024 season.
In one of the matches of the day, France’s Arthur Rinderknech won via a tiebreak in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8) thriller over USA’s Christopher Eubanks.
