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Reuters

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Reuters

American teenager Coco Gauff made a stunning debut at the French Open 2020. Gauff ousted the No. 9 seed Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round in an hour and 41 minutes. The 16-year-old clinched the fourth Top-20 win of her career after defeating the 2019 Roland Garros semifinalist Konta.

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During the post-match interview, Gauff talked about playing in the main draw of the French Open for the first time in her career. The American lost to Kaja Juvan in the qualifying rounds last year. However, Gauff has won the junior singles Grand Slam title at Roland Garros 2014.

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“I don’t really take anything for granted, because I’m just happy to be playing,” said Gauff in the post-match conference.

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Playing in her fifth Grand Slam, Gauff admitted that she isn’t used to winning matches at the majors and is happy to perform. The World No. 51 is the youngest of all the eleven teenagers taking part in the tournament.

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“I don’t think maybe winning matches at slams is something I’m used to, especially this is my first main draw at Roland Garros. When I’m on the court, I can act like I’m used to it. When I’m off the court, I’m just happy to be here,” remarked Gauff.

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Coco Gauff storms into the second round

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Gauff broke Konta’s serve early in the first set to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Konta could not convert the crucial breakpoints and eventually lost the 3-6.

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In the second set, Konta went 2-0 up after breaking Gauff’s service game. However, Konta double-faulted at 30-30 in the following game to allow Gauff to level the score. The American eventually won the second set 6-3 after Konta netted a backhand on Gauff’s second match point.

Coco will face Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan in the second round of the French Open. Trevisan defeated fellow countrywoman Camila Giorgi, who retired from the match while trailing 7-5, 3-0.

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Kshitij Tayal

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Kshitij Tayal is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having played district level tennis competitions, Kshitij is also a tenured journalist of the sport with over four years of experience. At EssentiallySports, he pens down some thought-provoking pieces on players and tournaments across the ATP and WTA. Given his hardwork and complete dedication to his trade, Rafael Nadal is the player Kshitij admires the most. When he's not covering tennis, Kshitij works in business development and marketing. Besides tennis and work, Kshitij loves to read autobiographies and books on Indian history.

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