Gauff Advances After Emotional Second Round Victory

NEW YORK: Following her 7-6(5), 6-2 second-round victory over Donna Vekic on Thursday, Coco Gauff expressed feeling overwhelmed, noting that people sometimes overlook the human aspect of athletes.

Gauff, the 2023 champion, faced a significant challenge in the second round, securing the first set via a tiebreak. After resolving early serving difficulties, she dominated the second set to win the match.

The 21-year-old was visibly emotional during the match, wiping away tears. Despite attempting to conceal her emotions, she was unsuccessful and subsequently covered her face with a towel.

Coco Gauff later shared her thoughts on the episode, emphasizing that it was not a moment of embarrassment but a reminder of her humanity.

“It feels human. As athletes, people often disregard our human side,” she told reporters.

“People often comment on rankings and performance, saying things like, ‘You’re number three in the world, you should be better.’

“In those moments, I succumb to the pressures, which I believe is normal. Every professional athlete who has been in a similar position has felt that pressure at some point, whether they showed it publicly or kept it private.”

The two-time Grand Slam champion added that resilience is key.

“It’s not about how broken you are, but how you recover,” she stated.

“I have bad days, but what matters is how you get up after those moments and how you perform afterward,” she added.

“Today, I demonstrated that I can recover even after feeling the worst I’ve ever felt on the court.”

Gauff will now compete against Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the next round.