Defending US Open Champion Coco Gauff breezed into the second round in New York with a comfortable win against Varvara Gracheva of France.
Title defense is up and running for Coco! pic.twitter.com/SyzFqe2Scs
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 26, 2024
The 20-year-old American had to save three break points in her opening service game but held her nerve and broke the world number 66 in the next game herself.
The third seed saved two more break points on her way to going 3-1 up and a sixth of the set as she made it 4-2.
She however sealed a double break from just the third break point she had won and then polished off a 6-2 win in the opening set with an ace.
The unforced errors continued to flow for Gracheva in the second as she went 0-40 down on her own serve and though Gauff allowed the three break points to slip, she converted a fourth to go ahead.
Gauff’s power game shone through as she won the next five games, making it nine consecutively, and wrapped up the victory in just 66 minutes in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Time up for Thiem
Elsewhere on Monday another former Flushing Meadows champion bowed out as Dominic Thiem’s Grand Slam career was ended in the first round by Ben Shelton.
Austrian Thiem won his lone major at the US Open in 2020, coming from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev in a thriller played without a crowd due to Covid-19 restrictions.
He however has announced his intention to retire in Vienna in October after battling a long-standing wrist injury and after losing 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to Shelton he was given an on-court presentation.
Everyone remembers where they were on September 13, 2020.
Thanks for the memories, @domithiem 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Ix7ntLcg2g
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 26, 2024
“It’s actually a really important moment for me because I had my greatest success of my career here on this court, in a weird 2020 in very strange and different circumstances,” Thiem told the crowd.
“Unfortunately I had this success without any of you, so that was an amazing moment, but on the other hand pretty sad.
“I’m super happy that I got the chance to play my last US Open and I can spend some time with you guys, just to say thank you and to make the time up from what we missed four years ago.”
Thiem lost in the French Open final in 2018 and 2019 and at the Australian Open in 2020.
There was no crowd when Dominic Thiem won his sole major, the #USOpen, in 2020.
He received a collage of his best US Open moments today, with spectators showing their appreciation as his Grand Slam career came to an end. 👏 pic.twitter.com/sPWTYXdtHy
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 26, 2024
