Amid the heated quarterfinal clash at the Cincinnati Open, Coco Gauff found a moment of entertainment with an unexpected love confession. And unlike Steffi Graf, who was quick to refuse her marriage proposal with a cheeky comment at the 1996 Wimbledon, Gauff seemed to actually enjoy it.

“I don’t know who was saying ‘I’m in love with the Coco,’ but I like that one. That was a good one,” said Gauff in her on-court interview when asked about what was special about playing at home. “And it’s the right Coco!”

The confession came from a host of fans who were in the stands cheering for the home favorite during the match. Gauff has always received feverish support whenever she has played in the US, with crowds singing for the home favorite every step of the way back in 2023, when the World No.4 clinched the title in Flushing Meadows.

However, back then, fans sang “CoCo” by OT Genasis. Even though the song’s title was a namesake for Gauff, the meaning of the same in the lyrics referred to a banned substance, which is why Gauff used the words “Right Coco” after her Cincinnati win.

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Gauff has always thrived playing before a home crowd, with some excellent results in US competitions. In addition to her US Open triumph, the American won the Washington and Cincinnati titles in 2023, which added a major boost of confidence going into the major. She had immense fan support even when she lost in the final of the Miami Open against Aryna Sabalenka this year.

Now with the US Open a few days away, Gauff is ticking all the right boxes during her warm-up stints across the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. She had a great run in Toronto to reach the semifinals, where she lost a tough three-set match to Elena Rybakina. At the Cincinnati Open, Gauff has beaten Liudmila Samsonova, Ann Li and Marie Bouzkova so far, and even scored a dominant victory over Kostyuk in the quarterfinal, proving that she is geared up for New York.

What is more significant is that Gauff seems to have overcome her serving deficiencies, improving on her habit of double-faulting and adding deft net play to her baseline game, which saw her reach the Wimbledon semifinal.

Gauff’s three-set record is another aspect that puts the American in good standing, as she has won sixteen three-set matches this year, while ten of her thirteen losses in the season were in three sets. This is where the crowd support comes into play, as Gauff feeds off the crowd’s energy as the match goes deep and can make her opponents err.

The support comes as a breath of fresh air, especially given the heartbreaking treatment Gauff has had to endure in the past after losses.

How Coco Gauff Deals With Abusive Comments on Social Media

Online hate has been a major issue in tennis, and unsurprisingly, Coco Gauff has received a fair share of hate from bettors and rude fans following her losses. However, ahead of the Canadian Open, Gauff mentioned a few techniques she uses to deal with the hate.

“So I’ll just block it if it’s something I don’t like. Sometimes I will respond to some people or troll people,” said Gauff during her press conference. “I do like to, like whenever somebody comments something mean, I might just comment back like an emoji, like a smiley face or something, I don’t know, just to get them, I feel like that riles people up.”

She had even discussed a similar issue after her loss to Karolina Muchova in the semifinal of Wimbledon and mentioned that the hate only makes her stronger and she doesn’t think too much of it. However, after the warmth Gauff received in Cincinnati, she will likely be at a better frame of mind going into the US Open.