Coco Gauff Voices Gratitude, Shares Incredible Photos Following First Round US Open Win

The young athlete is looking to defend her 2023 title.

Coco Gauff / JP Yim/Getty Images

The defending US Open champion has officially kicked off her bid for a second consecutive title at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. Coco Gauff, the 2023 title-holder, defeated French professional tennis player Varvara Gracheva in straight sets on Aug. 26 to punch her ticket to the second round.

With her first match complete, the young star athlete took to Instagram to voice her gratitude. “Thankful to be back on this electric court,” she wrote of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main court on the grounds at the New York tennis center. Striking photos from the match accompanied the simple message. Gauff, wearing an electric blue and neon yellow tennis dress and a pair of signature New Balance shoes, the Coco CG2, looked locked in in the four photos that she shared with her followers.

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During last year’s US Open finals, Gauff fought back from one set down against then No. 1 ranked Aryna Sabalenka to win the match three sets to one. In doing so, she became the youngest American to win the home turf tournament since the great Serena Williams in 1999. With poise and determination, the then 19-year-old rose to the occasion and walked away from the tournament with her first Grand Slam title.

Now, a year later, she’s hoping to do it again. Gauff will continue her bid for a second consecutive title tomorrow, Aug. 27, against German tennis player Tatjana Maria.