Coco Gauff on Facing Star Who Defeated Serena Williams in Her Last Career Game: “Complete Opposite”

In a career spanning almost two-and-a-half decades, Serena Williams hasn’t lost many matches. Those who did get the better of the 23-time Grand Slam winner, for justifiable reasons, will go down in history. Naturally, when such an opponent stands against you in the very first round of the US Open, you can’t help but feel angsty. Luckily, Coco Gauff came prepared.

In her first match at Flushing Meadows, the American star faced Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia. Gauff won 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 to advance to the second round, and all smiles right now. However, you can’t really blame her if the 2x Grand Slam winner felt a little squeamish going into the high-stakes match, especially considering the fact that it was Tomljanovic who defeated Serena Williams in her final professional match at the 2022 US Open. But Gauff knew she had to stand her ground.

In the post-match presser, the 21-year-old USA star talked about how she readied herself to take on Ajla for her first match in New York. “I was very aware, and honestly, before the match I told myself that she was probably going to play that level of tennis again, where she’s just steady off the ground,” Gauff could be heard telling the reporters in the YouTube upload by the official US Open channel from August 26.

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