American tennis star Coco Gauff is off to a winning start to her new season. The 18-year-old defeated Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-1 in straight sets to win her first match of the year. Participating in the ASB Classic, Gauff is through to the round of 16 with this victory. However, the match was a start-stop match as the rain made an appearance in between. Later, the 18-year-old spoke about her experience with the rain break and her first victory of the season.

After defeating Maria in her first match of 2023, Gauff spoke to the press in an on-court interview. Speaking about the rain delay and her victory, she claimed that it’s a usual occurrence for her.

“In between of the rain delays, I got a little bit of help from my coach. And then I scrolled in the TikTok and a guy told me to come out and play again. I did a little warm-up. Bulk I’m from Florida so we are kind of used to start-stop-start. I mean, it’s the Tropical weather,” she said.

Read more: 18-Year-Old Coco Gauff Finds an Ingenious ‘Lionel Messi’ Way to Shut Down a Hater in Style

On January 5th, Gauff defeated Sofia Kenin to advance into the quarterfinals of the tournament. Up next she will face Zhu Lin from China.

Gauff has been America’s best performer after the decline and later retirement of Serena Williams. While many consider her as the successor of Serena, she has different ideas.

Coco Gauff on comparison with Serena Williams

After Serena’s retirement, Gauff is the brightest tennis prospect for the US in WTA. However, the 18-year-old doesn’t take it as added pressure. The Florida born revealed that she has seen the comparison ever since she was eight years old. However, she believes, she is still finding her way in tennis, while Serena is one of the greatest.

Further, the American added that she doesn’t feel like she has to fill anyone’s shoes. While Serena recently retired as the second-highest Grand Slam title winner, Gauff is still to win her first.

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She came close last year when she made it to the final of Roland Garros. Can she do it this year? Let us know in the comments section.