American rising star Coco Gauff played some pretty fantastic tennis in her first match at the Cincinnati Open 2021. She thrashed Hsieh Su-wei in the first round and will now face one of the favourites to win the tournament, Naomi Osaka, in the next round.

The current head-to-head battle between Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff stands at 1-1. Even though Osaka crushed Gauff at the US Open 2019, the 17-year-old shocked everyone when she defeated Osaka at the Australian Open 2020.

In a recent interview to the WTA Insider, Gauff talked about all the lessons that she learned after losing to Osaka at the US Open 2019. She revealed that the defeat affected her but she knows how to play in tough matches now.

“US Open, people expected a great match…. I will say it did affect me then, but I think I needed that experience to help me now. Now when I go into these matches, I know to turn off the phone, not focus on what other people say & ignore it,” said Gauff in the interview.

Gauff clearly stated that her loss helped her to grow as a tennis player. She also learned how to maintain her focus and ignore what other people think about her.

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Coco Gauff discloses what all she grasped after defeating Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open 2020

In the same interview, Gauff also recalled her famous victory against Osaka at the Australian Open 2020. She stated that she learned to perform under pressure and not to focus on the expectations of other people.

“The second match I learned that I can perform well under the pressure, and that I do have a lot more fun on the court when I try not to focus on the expectations of other people and myself. I didn’t really find that balance until that Australian Open match,” added the American player.

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Fans are eagerly waiting for the match between Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka. They expect it to be a blockbuster where they can witness a lot of fun. Who will advance to the pre-quarters of the Cincinnati Open 2021?

Also Read: Naomi Osaka Breaks Down as Journalist Interrogates Her in an ‘Aggressive Tone’