Coco Gauff is preparing to defend her US Open title, after picking up her maiden major singles title in Flushing Meadows in 2023.
Coco Gauff’s rapid ascension to the top of the women’s game was rewarded last September when she clinched the title in Flushing Meadows.
Now returning to the warm-up event that primed her for US Open glory, the relentlessly ambitious and likeable world number two is looking for another solid run in Cincinnati.
Having underperformed at the Olympics and been thrashed by Diana Shnaider in Toronto, her level looks to have slightly dropped.
However, with the glittering start the American has largely enjoyed, she has found time to reflect on her own growth this year and taken a step back to try and properly acknowledge where she is in her career.
What one lesson is Coco Gauff taking into her Cincinnati title defense?
With expectations consistently set high, both by Gauff herself and a multitude of pundits and fans, the 20-year-old is reflecting on what she’s learned already in her career.
Pleased to be opening her title defence in the mid-west, Gauff told the Cincinnati Open press how thrilled she is to be returning to the midwest.
Gauff revealed: “One thing I’ve learned is that I’ve had a lot of success so far in my career. I always put the pressure on myself to do more, but sometimes it’s just good to say you did well. I think I’m trying to take a step back and just enjoy what I’ve done so far and use that experience to push me forward.
“When you come back to a place where you’ve had success, you kind of feel like you’re finding yourself again. But I try not to look in the past. I want to continue to move forward,” the 20-year-old explained after a difficult search for form recently.
After Gauff’s controversial Olympic row with the umpire, the American will be pleased by the new US Open rules in play this year.
How far can Coco Gauff go at the Cincinnati Open?
With a bye in the opening round, Gauff is set to play either Britain’s Harriet Dart or Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the second round.
Having played both with a 100% win rate, Gauff’s later rounds are predictably where she will likely run into trouble.
A quarter-final against Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng looks likely, with the 21-year-old Chinese player having gotten the better of Gauff’s Parisian conqueror Donna Vekic in the final.
Jessica Pegula’s Toronto title defense may give the young American some confidence however despite her own early exit.
With no shortage of power or finesse, Gauff’s hard court game is just as strong as her clay one and providing she plays near her best, she’ll certainly be in amongst it to retain her crown.
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