In a career spanning almost two-and-a-half decades, Serena Williams hasn’t lost many matches. Those who did get the better of the 23-time Grand Slam winner, for justifiable reasons, will go down in history. Naturally, when such an opponent stands against you in the very first round of the US Open, you can’t help but feel angsty. Luckily, Coco Gauff came prepared.

In her first match at Flushing Meadows, the American star faced Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia. Gauff won 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 to advance to the second round, and all smiles right now. However, you can’t really blame her if the 2x Grand Slam winner felt a little squeamish going into the high-stakes match, especially considering the fact that it was Tomljanovic who defeated Serena Williams in her final professional match at the 2022 US Open. But Gauff knew she had to stand her ground.

In the post-match presser, the 21-year-old USA star talked about how she readied herself to take on Ajla for her first match in New York. “I was very aware, and honestly, before the match I told myself that she was probably going to play that level of tennis again, where she’s just steady off the ground,” Gauff could be heard telling the reporters in the YouTube upload by the official US Open channel from August 26. And to make sure she didn’t stumble against such a beefy opponent, Coco even did her homework.

“I watched that match with Serena, so I expected that level today, where I felt like she was just going to be solid, not going to miss, and take her chances when it was the right decision, but really just be out there. And that’s what she did,” Gauff told the reporters about how she went back to the match from three years ago, between Williams and Tomljanovic, to better understand how the Aussie star tends to make her moves on the court. However, the American also knew that her opponent was highly unpredictable, one who could suddenly amp up their play without any heads up.

Referring to their previous interaction from the Paris Olympics, which Gauff won 6-3, 6-0, the Atlanta, Georgia, native further stated, “I think she does better under the bigger lights. I played her at the Olympics, and it was the complete opposite of a match. So yeah, it’s difficult when you face opponents who maybe don’t play their best tennis throughout the year and then step it up.”

But Gauff also admitted that playing against such a foe helped her to get better. “I think this was a match that I needed. I don’t think it could get any more stressful than this, honestly. The first round is more stressful than the final, in my experience. So yeah, for me it was a good test,” she said, with a grin. Her win in the match against Tomljanovic definitely helped with her morale. But even if she fell to her Australian opponent, we bet she still wouldn’t have felt too bad about herself.

“I tried, but Alja just played a little bit better,” Serena Williams didn’t hesitate to note her admiration of Ajla after the latter pushed the tennis icon to the brink of retirement at the 2022 US Open. That, indeed, was a statement that made it clear to the community that they should seat Tomljanovic on a high pedestal. But the victor in that match probably wasn’t more conflicted after a win before that day.

“During the match I was so eager to win. I wanted to win as much as the next person because I didn’t look at her like, Oh, Serena, her last tournament. But then when it ended, it almost didn’t feel right,” Ajla told reporters after her milestone win. But for Gauff, it’s onward and upward!

Coco Gauff’s serves: A work in progress

Just before the US Open, Gauff reached out to Gavin MacMillan, the famous tennis coach who helped Aryna Sabalenka to no end. The American explained that her move was to fix her broken serve, an issue even Sabalenka suffered with. In the days leading up to the Flushing Meadows, Gauff perfected her serve incessantly, and the results were there for the fans to witness today. Her double faults were significantly lower than before, even though Gauff made 59 unforced errors against Ajla. Later, she admitted that getting accustomed to her new trainer was a tough task.

“Honestly, really tough. Honestly [it’s] mentally exhausting. But I’m trying. I mean, it wasn’t the best today, but… it came in when it mattered. But you know, it’s an improvement from last week,” Coco told reporters, on how she’s been coping with her new training. Thankfully, though, it seems like tennis pundits and legends believe the mentorship shake-up could bode well for the American WTA star.

When asked about her pick for this year’s US Open winner on the women’s side, Maria Sharapova, the newest Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, named Coco Gauff without taking too long to think about it. But do you think the former world No. 1 has her head in the right place, or is she being biased in her judgment? Share your opinion on the matter in a comment!

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