NEW YORK — The top American tennis player competing at the U.S. Open in Flushing, New York, won her first-round match Monday afternoon.
Coco Gauff, the No. 3 seed in the women's competition, defeated French player Varvara Gracheva in straight sets — 6-2, 6-0 — in the first round at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Goff, who is only 20 years old, is the tournament's defending champion.
In 2023, Gauff entered the U.S. Open — one of the big four "Grand Slam" events in tennis — as the No. 6 seed before making her run at the title. The young American took on Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka, who was seeded No. 2, in the final and ultimately won despite dropping the first set.
The last woman to win back-to-back singles titles at the US Open is also the last American to accomplish the feat. Serena Williams won three straight US Open titles from 2012-14. The only other American besides Gauff to win the singles title since then is Sloane Stephens in 2017.
Gauff has already eclipsed $15 million in career earnings since joining the Women's Tennis Association at just 14 years old in 2018. Her last tournament win came at the beginning of 2024, when she won the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
Gauff is slated to play her second-round match Wednesday against German Tatjana Maria.
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