Despite more questions, we are emotionally excited after winning the victory
NEW YORK – Coco Gauff’s eyes wiped tears in the second round of the U.S. Open Thursday night, trying to keep the victory, trying to give herself a chance to win.
The trouble with Gauff’s service is another problem, just like two nights ago, as it has been a while. The two-time Grand Slam champion recently teamed up with a new coach to try to solve this aspect of her game, and obviously there is still work to be done, but Gauff did figure out how to stay in the game, beating Arthur Ashe Ashe Stadium 7-6 (5), 6-2.
“To be honest, today was a tough game for me. But I was happy with the way I managed it. It was already tough,” Goff said in her on-field interview, before stopping as she started crying.
The audience shouted encouragement, and Goff continued, “I’m doing this for myself, but I’m doing it for you too.
Gauff won the U.S. Open in 2023 as a teenager, and then added the French Open trophy in June this year. In the recent Grand Slam, Goff withdrew in the first round.
Her service disaster has resurfaced from time to time, including 19 double losses a year ago that led to the loss of her title fight in New York ending. She led the tour this season with more than 300 doubles (23 in a not-to-date game) – hiring biomechanics expert Gavin Macmillan, serving shortly before the U.S. Open, with the rebuilding No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
In the first round, Goff needed three sets to cross Ajla Tomljanovic, partly due to double turnovers.
But like in that game, Goff’s defense and superiority at baseline brought her past vakic.
Vekic beat Goff at the Paris Olympics on his way to the silver medal last year, bringing medical timeouts to her right shoulder to watch later in the first set and having a lot of his own worries. She doubled 10 times twice.
In the first set, Gauff, 21, from Florida, had seven doubles, losing four of her six matches, including at a 5-4 pace (when the tears started), and then 6-5. But she fell down every moment and then performed well in the finals.
“I just wanted to tell myself to breathe, honestly, just put another ball on the court, just to remember what I did well,” Gough said. “I honestly don’t remember a lot of the endings of the first set, but yes, it’s amazing that I was able to get rid of it.”
When Vekic sent forehand to finish the game for a long time, Goff’s mother stood up from her seat, lined up behind Macmillan, and shouted, “Come on! Let’s go!”
Goff heads to the locker room, splashing some water on her face and refocuses.
She reset herself, and the second set was even smoother: in front of a crowd including star gymnast Simone Biles, there was only one double mistake with zero service interruption.
By the end, Goff was in a much better mood, yelling as he shook his closed left fist while winning the game.
She noticed bile present.
“She helped me pull it out. I was just thinking: If she could pick up a six-inch beam and do it with all the pressure in the world, then I could hit the ball. … It calmed me a little bit, just knowing her story, she went through everything mentally.” “She was definitely an inspiration.”
