The American hard court swing has started and many great contests await as the top players start their preparation for the US Open. In the Silicon Valley Classic, this year’s French Open finalist Coco Gauff is off to a flying start. The American defeated Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina easily in straight sets.

After claiming the first set 6-1, Gauff stamped her authority in the next set, handing a bagel to her Ukrainian opponent.

After a resounding win, the 18-year-old will next play against the four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka. Addressing the media after victory, she also spoke about the relationship she has with her.

Coco Gauff and Osaka have mutual respect

Speaking about her upcoming match with the Japanese, Gauff said that both of them will be competitive on the court. She even compared the emotions of the match to that of the legendary matchups between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“From a competitive standpoint, it would be like Federer and Nadal. I mean emotion-wise. When we’re on court we’re going to fight really hard against each other, ” she said.

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Further, the 18-year-old said that the two have mutual respect outside the court. “Off the court, we have nothing but respect for each other for what we do on and off the court,” she added.

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The two have faced each other thrice in their career. Osaka has an upper hand with two victories, whereas Gauff has one.

Osaka makes a winning return

Naomi Osaka returned to the court for the first time after her appearance in the French Open in May. The 24-year-old suffered a shocking defeat to Amanda Anisimova in the first round of Roland Garros. Further, she was out of Wimbledon Championships 2022, due to an Achilles injury.

In her comeback encounter with Zheng Qinwen, the former world number 1 won in three sets.

Osaka started well and took the first set 6-4. However, Quinwen made a brilliant comeback to take the second set 6-3. The 24-year-old Japanese had a near-perfect decider set, which she claimed 6-1.

Watch this story: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Others In The Greatest Comebacks in Tennis

While Osaka goes into her next match with head-to-head advantage, Gauff has been in brilliant form lately. It will be interesting to see who comes out triumphant.

Who are you rooting for, Osaka or Gauff? Let us know in the comments.