The Coco Gauff hype is real. After the American booked her spot in Round 3 of the US Open, fans have been hyped. And during her practice session before the game with Cristina Bucsa, the US Open staff made sure that Gauff knew she had their support.

“When I say Coco, you say go,” cheered the US Open staffer as Coco Gauff and her mother were seen laughing and taking videos of the bleachers, with the crowd following the staffer’s lead.

The hype around Coco Gauff in New York is not simply because she is American. After surviving Paula Badosa, fans now have reason to believe she can go all the way. Gauff came into the US Open after winning Cincinnati, then opened her US Open campaign with another straight-set victory.

But Badosa represented the first real test, and Gauff had plenty of history against her.

Badosa had beaten Gauff 5 times across their first 8 meetings before Thursday’s match. She defeated Gauff at the 2025 Australian Open, then won again during their Berlin meeting in June. Each time, Badosa found ways to make Gauff uncomfortable.

This time, Gauff finally found her answer and removed a familiar problem from her path.

The challenge started immediately when Badosa earned 2 break points during Gauff’s opening service game. Gauff saved both chances, then broke Badosa in the seventh game to take control. The second set became another fight, with both players exchanging breaks before reaching a tense tiebreak. But Gauff eventually won the tiebreak 7-5.

That win gave Gauff exactly what she needed: another difficult match that tested her composure. She admitted feeling nervous, but said these battles can help build confidence, especially during Grand Slams.

Now she moves forward with an 8-match winning streak and 16 sets won. Waiting for her on the other side is Cristina Bucsa, another Spaniard who has already survived 2 difficult matches.

Gauff beat Bucsa 6-2, 6-4 at Indian Wells in 2023. Gauff started that match evenly, then won 13 straight points to seize control before closing it. Bucsa now arrives here after beating Sara Bejlek and Himeno Sakatsume in 3-set matches.

And before Gauff goes in to face another tough opponent, this is exactly the type of energy she needs around her.

But there is something that Coco Gauff doesn’t need when she is on the court

Influencers were supposed to bring new audiences to tennis. Instead, they have become part of a debate at the US Open. Several incidents have now put their behavior under the spotlight, with players and fans questioning where content creation should stop.

And with new disruptions appearing around matches, the conversation is only getting stronger.

The biggest incident came during Naomi Osaka’s first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova. A group inside a suite was seen using ring lights and creating content mid-match.

Chair umpire Kader Nouni eventually asked the guests to take their seats and settle down. The incident quickly spread online, while the US Open later reminded fans to avoid flash photography and other lighting.

Coco Gauff believes influencers can help tennis reach people who might never watch otherwise. “I think it’s great to have a different demographic to the sport. I have no problem with influencers. I’ve met some of them and follow some of them online. Luckily the ones I do follow online do follow the etiquette and know tennis pretty well.”

But Gauff wants that support to come with respect for players competing on court. “If you’re being invited to a red carpet, you wouldn’t show up in jeans. So I think just follow the etiquette of the sport. That’s all.”

Other players have noticed the same distractions during matches and said similar things.

Osaka said, “Today, the umpire, she told everyone to be quiet more than I’ve ever heard an umpire tell a crowd to be quiet. I do think in my first match, I wasn’t really paying attention. I tell people [that] I normally just focus on the match and the court, but there was a moment where there were people, like, shouting and stuff, and you could hear it quite clearly. And I think it bothered my opponent, too.”

Jessica Pegula also said, “People are down there trying to perform, and it’s their career and their job. It seems a bit disrespectful.”

While players are already battling for every point on court, the last thing they need is a distraction coming from the stands.