Coco Gauff needed a few more seconds to compose herself as she stepped to the microphone. Fans were serenading her with cheers after beating Donna Vekic in the second round of the US Open on Thursday. Gauff's tears, however, refused to cooperate.
She got deeply emotional as she spoke to the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium after eliminating Vekic, 7-6 (5), 6-2. Gauff visibly struggled at the onset, even covering her face with a towel out of frustration. But she regained her poise to advance to the third round.
It was a hard-fought victory for the 21-year-old tennis star, who also struggled in her opening match versus Ajla Tomljanovic, and she made sure to express her gratitude to her supporters.
“Thank you. You guys really helped me a lot, so I'm doing this for myself, and I'm also doing it for you. No matter how tough it gets inside, you can do it,” said Gauff, who's ranked No. 3 in the world, as posted by ESPN.
.@CocoGauff was emotional after winning her second round match at the US Open 🥹 pic.twitter.com/py1L7eXKm0
— ESPN (@espn) August 29, 2025
She won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023. She, however, failed to defend it last year after bowing to Emma Navarro in the fourth round.
While she wasn't too pleased with her performance against Vekic, Gauff acknowledged that challenging moments will only make her tougher.
“I just show people what it’s like to be a human, and I have bad days, but I think it’s more about how you get up after those bad moments and how you show up after that,” said Gauff in a report from the Associated Press.
“I think today I showed that I can get up after feeling the worst I’ve ever felt on the court.”
She also admitted that “nerves and pressure” got to her, and she's happy she survived them. She also avenged her loss to Vekic, who's ranked No. 47 in the world, in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Gauff will have to recalibrate quickly as she will battle Magdalena Frech on Friday.
