Coco Gauff has won over the crowd
Now she needs to beat Naomi Osaka
Coco Gauff, a 15-year-old American tennis prodigy, and Naomi Osaka, the world’s No. 1 player, will face each other in a tournament for the first time when they meet in the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday.
The high-profile match is likely to be played in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest permanent tennis stadium in the world with its five tiers of seating and capacity for nearly 24,000 spectators.
But Osaka and Gauff have been crossing paths in much smaller and quieter venues for some time. Both once trained at ProWorld Academy in Delray Beach, Fla.
“I used to see Naomi’s dad every morning,” said Corey Gauff, Coco Gauff’s father and longtime coach. “We’d be on the first court, and they’d be walking to a backcourt. That was a couple of years before Naomi really broke out.”
Osaka, 21, has since risen to the top of the rankings and won two Grand Slam singles titles: last year’s U.S. Open and this year’s Australian Open.
Gauff, born and raised in Delray Beach, has just begun to make an impact at this level. She reached the fourth round in her first Wimbledon as a qualifier before losing to the eventual champion, Simona Halep. She is now in the third round of her first U.S. Open after defeating tour veteran Timea Babos in three deeply diverting sets Thursday night and then getting serenaded by the near-capacity crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium with an extended chant of “Coco.”
“This is just the beginning, I promise,” she said in response, looking much more emotional than she had during the match. “I promise to always fight for you guys, and I thank you so much for all the support. You got me through the past two matches, and I hope you can help me on Saturday and in my doubles tomorrow.”
It will be intriguing to see how the crowd reacts Saturday. Gauff has quickly become a fan favourite in New York: winners hit by her first two opponents — Anastasia Potapova of Russia and Babos of Hungary — were routinely greeted with restrained applause or near silence.
But Osaka could be a different matter. The daughter of a Haitian father and Japanese mother, Osaka represents Japan but has long been based in South Florida and once seriously considered representing the United States.
She should have considerable support of her own Saturday, particularly after last year’s contentious final against Serena Williams, when Williams’ clash with chair umpire Carlos Ramos led to boos at the victory ceremony that left Osaka in tears and marred the celebration of her first major singles title.
Nobody who experienced that awkward moment wants Osaka to feel alienated in Ashe Stadium again. But Cocomania, which hit Wimbledon full force during Gauff’s first-week run, has proved difficult to resist.
“It probably will be a split crowd, but Coco will have enough support,” Corey Gauff said. “She’s settling in a little bit now, getting a couple of matches under her belt. She still hasn’t played her best tennis, but it’s good to see her fighting through it, and hopefully she’ll find her best game on Saturday.”
Corey Gauff said that Leonard Francois, Osaka’s father, had provided him with advice as he navigated his daughter’s path to the pro tour.
“He said, ‘Take your time, it’s a journey,’” Corey Gauff said. “He said, ‘It’s going to happen, it will happen.’ And then I think it was last year here in the juniors, he told me, ‘I wouldn’t have her play juniors anymore. She’s ready.’”
Francois said it despite Gauff losing in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open girls’ tournament in 2018. A year earlier, Gauff had reached the final of the girls’ event at age 13.
But she has made a very quick transition to the professional ranks and is now on the cusp of breaking into the top 100 despite playing in just four tour-level events this season.
“Things have happened very fast,” Corey Gauff said. “Her progression has been very fast. I hope we have the same kind of run we had two years ago. I feel good about it. I think she’s having to play some long matches, but she can take it.
“At the end of the day, she’s proved she can play seven matches in a Slam,” he added. “Counting qualifying at Wimbledon, she lost in the seventh match to Halep. She knows how to get to seven matches.”
Gauff is the youngest player to reach the third round since Anna Kournikova in 1996.