With the US Open hype at a fever pitch, the eyes are on the budding American players. Along with household names like Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, etc., there are also several new rising players who have made some quick strides with their performances. So much so that the former hitting partner of Venus Williams has come out to praise one such young tennis sensation.

Working with Venus has given her former hitting partner Jermaine Jenkins an eye for talent. He thinks the current world number 2 female junior player has all the wherewithals to rise above everyone else.

Former hitting partner of Venus Williams spots a new budding talent at the US Open

17-year-old Ngounoue has won the hearts of tennis enthusiasts with not just her on-court performance but also her off-court vibrant personality. Her discipline and training regimen have left the former coach of Venus Williams in awe. Jenkins’ assessment of the teen verifies that.

Jermaine Jenkins opened up about the budding tennis star in an interview with the Washington Post. He stated, “She’s a star in the making.” Talking about her personality, he added, “She’s a pretty happy kid, for the most part. She plays with a lot of joy.” He wasn’t the only one praising Ngounoue, though.

19-year-old tennis star Coco Gauff is another admirer of Ngounoue. “She is a very social person, a lot more than I am. We go to dinner. I tried to just invite her out because I just know how that was and a couple other players did that for me,” she said.

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Ngounoue is not the only one who has caught the eye of experts. Not long ago, another rising star created massive ripples in the tennis world after stunning a former world number one.

Frances Tiafoe vouched for the rising tennis player after she shocked Pliskova

During the Citi Open earlier this month, 21-year-old Hailey Baptiste took the tennis realm by storm after she took down former world no. 1 Karolina Pliskova 6-1,0-6,6-3. That made her well-wisher and ATP tennis star Frances Tiafoe vouch for her against Coco Gauff.

In a post-match conference, he surprisingly stated that Baptiste could take down Gauff. While Gauff comfortably beat her in straight sets, Baptiste earned the respect of her famous rival, who believes Baptiste has a lot of talent.

Do you think any American tennis stars can lift the US Open trophy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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