Coco Gauff has enjoyed a fantastic career on the WTA Tour, having made her debut at the Miami Open back in 2019.
Gauff was just 15 at the time of her WTA Tour debut, but showed glimpses of what was to come in her first main draw match.
She faced fellow American teenager Catherine McNally, and came from behind to win their Miami Open clash 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Gauff was ranked 456th in the world at the time, but showed little fear at the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament in Miami, where she had been handed a wildcard.
She produced a hard-fought display to really impress those watching on, although her dreams were quickly shattered by Daria Kasatkina in round two.
The ‘bad’ comment Coco Gauff made right after her first-ever win on the WTA Tour
But before Kasatkina defeated Gauff 6-3, 6-2, the American was on hand to express her emotions after that debut win over McNally.
She told reporters afterwards: “I really tried to minimize the moment and just tried to think of it as practice. I know that may sound bad, but it kind of helped me.
“I just kind of put myself in a mindset that, you know, if I don’t stay positive and if I don’t go for my shots, then I’m going to lose. So I just went for it and it ended up helping me in the end.”
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And when asked if having a familiar opponent helped keep her grounded, Gauff responded: “Yeah, definitely.
“I played her twice before this, and they were both in juniors. You know, this is a whole different thing for me, but I kind of, again, tried to minimize the moment.
“It kind of helped, obviously, because I knew her tendencies, but also I think it helps her, like, we both kind of had an advantage because we know each other’s games very well.
“I think that anyone could have won today, and I think the match just was really decided by two or three points.”
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It turned out to be an unforgettable season for the young American, who claimed her first WTA title in 2019 at Linz.
Gauff defeated Venus Williams at Wimbledon that year too, which has undoubtedly played a role in her impressive journey since.
Now aged 21, she has 11 WTA titles to her name, with 276 professional wins and over $29million in career earnings.
But the teenager was in an unfamiliar situation following the win over McNally in Miami, after which she was also asked if she may feel differently looking back on the victory in the days that followed.
She replied: “Well, I still don’t believe that I won. After the match, I served for the match and I was, like, ‘Do I have to return again, or do we shake hands?’ I didn’t really think it was over.
“This is a dream, like, I have been dreaming of this moment for years, just playing in the Miami Open. And I have been coming to this tournament since I was eight or nine years old.
“Watching the players here and actually being in the same tournament, being in the same area as players that I’ve watched since practically I was born, it’s so surreal to me.”
Kasatkina, the 14th seed, then played the role of the villain, but the tennis world had seen enough of Gauff to know just how talented a player she would go on to be.
Six years later, she is not only winning matches but winning titles, having just lifted the trophy at the Wuhan Open.
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