The match against Donna Vekic was nothing short of an emotional roller coaster ride for Coco Gauff and her fanbase. Being filled with confidence as the match began, the No. 3 WTA star broke down in tears in the middle of the first set as she was tied 4-4, when a poor serve gave Vekic the edge. But then came the twist. Gauff took a break, splashed some water on her face, and came out renewed. The reset alone seemed like the antidote for the 7-6, 6-2 win. However, there were other factors at play it seems; a solid nudge of sorts that the US star didn’t forget to acknowledge. 

Acknowledging the encouraging audience’s credit, Gauff stated in her post-match interview, “Honestly, today was a tough match for me. But I’m just happy with how I was able to manage. I just finished a rough couple of weeks. But I’m happy to be back on the sport and you guys bring me so much joy…” She broke down once again as the fans kept on cheering her. After regaining her composure, the 21-year-old further continued, “You guys really, really helped me a lot. So, I’m doing this for myself, and I’m also doing it for you. And no matter how tough it gets inside, you can do it.” How much strength did Gauff gather from the energy of the NYC crowd?

With tears flowing down her cheeks, she confessed, “I feed off it a lot. I mean, I’ve had some tough moments on this court, and you guys pulled me out just fine. So, I really do appreciate it. That first set was tough for me. But you guys stayed cheering for me. So, I really- Thank you, guys.”

Notably, during the 1 hour and 39 minutes long match, Gauff committed seven double faults—she leads the tour with more than 300 double-faults this season—but ultimately picked up her 73rd Gram Slam match victory. Now, she trails only Maria Sharapova, who recorded 85 women’s singles Grand Slam victories before turning 22. Yet, per Gauff’s admission after her first round match-up against Aussie Ajla Tomljanović, the past few days have been particularly exhausting. Especially owing to fixing her serving woes with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, also credited for working with Aryna Sabalenka before the US Open. It’s as good as a factory reset, consciously focusing on every serve that she delivers and delivering it with taught precision, by breaking habit.

“The biggest challenge is just changing the motion and changing everything before such a big tournament for me. This is one of the most nervous tournaments for me in general, and on top of all this, it’s a lot,” the player noted.

Having said that, as Coco Gauff laid down her honest confession, the audience erupted. But there was one special someone in the stands who had a profound effect on the WTA #3.

And that was none other than the ‘Queen of Flips’, Simone Biles. 

How did Simone Biles help Coco Gauff win her second-round US Open match?

As the on-court interview continued, the reporter pointed out that Biles was actually present in the stands, cheering for Gauff. This information wasn’t surprising to Gauff, “Honestly, I saw her. And honestly, I don’t know if she’s up there. But she helped me pull it out. I was just thinking like, if she can, you know, go on a six-inch beam, and do that with all the pressures of the world, then I can hit the ball in this 75 – I don’t know how big this court is. So, yeah. I saw her late in the second, getting interviewed by ESPN.” 

Simone Biles, despite being one of the most celebrated artistic gymnasts, had a dangerous mental block called ‘the twisties’. This forced her out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and she garnered quite a bit of backlash. But she never gave up. And that attitude ignited a spark in Coco Gauff’s heart. She continued, “And yeah, it brought me a little bit of calm just knowing her story with all the things she went through mentally. So, she’s an inspiration surely. And you know, her presence definitely did help me today.”  

And now, she progresses to the next round in the 2025 US Open. What do you think of Coco Gauff’s performance in the second round of the 2025 US Open? Let us know in a comment.

Meanwhile, head to the EssentiallySports Live Blog for more juicy US Open updates in real-time.