On Monday night, Coco Gauff used the ideal phrase to summarize her triumph on Day 1 of the U.S. Open.
During her on-court interview, Gauff stated, “Slow,” then, for dramatic effect, she sort of stifled a smile and hesitated. This caused the crowded Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to chuckle, which alarmed Gauff’s opponent, Laura Siegemund.
Gauff was referring to Siegemund, a German qualifier in her 35th year who took her sweet time during points and never appeared prepared to play when the Florida teenager was. The match that the sixth-seeded Gauff eventually turned around and won 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the second round at Flushing Meadows could also have been a reference.
“I was quite patient throughout the entire game. She was counting down the duration since the initial set. I was completely silent. Gauff, who engaged Marijana Veljovic in a lengthy conversation in the third set, stated, “I would have looked at the umpire, and she didn’t do anything. Eventually, the audience realized that she was taking too long, and you could hear them shouting, “Time!”
With an easy victory against Alexandre Muller in the final match of the day, 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic returned to the U.S. Open. Due to his lack of a COVID-19 vaccination, Djokovic was unable to travel to the United States last year.
During the post-game press conference, Siegemund sobbed and said the fans “had no respect for me,” despite the fact that her flaws were praised and her arguments with Veljovic were jeered.
Siegemund, who has won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles crowns at the U.S. Open, expressed her disappointment with the way that she was treated today. “To say this hurts really bad,” the speaker said. I should be quicker; there is no question that I’m slow. Additionally, it’s how I play, though.
Siegemund continued: “They treated me as if I was a bad person.”
Siegemund outplayed Gauff throughout the opening set, using a variety of slices and excellent volleying, with former president Barack Obama & his wife Michelle watching in the crowd.
Gauff had dropped out of her last two Grand Slam contests, including a first-round exit at Wimbledon last month, and she didn’t want to go quietly or easily this time. She used her seventh break point to start the second set in a 30-point, more than 25-minute game, as the crowd of thousands of fanatical supporters grew louder by the second.
Gauff remarked that it gave him a lot of mental energy. A crucial momentum shift occurred during that game.
She gained a permanent lead as a result. Siegemund was called for a time violation by Veljovic in the third set. One of the two instructors who has been working with Gauff recently is Brad Gilbert. When he expressed disbelief at the time it took Veljovic to step in, Gauff grinned.
Gauff reached her breaking point while serving with a 3-0 lead in the set and crossed the line to argue.
She never arrives prepared when I’m working. Just how fair is this? To Veljovic, Gauff said. “My speed is typical. Anyone here can ask a ref. The entire game, I’ve been quiet. It’s absurd at this point. On her serve, I don’t care what she does, but she needs to be prepared for my serve.
Gauff ultimately lost the game. After Siegmund was later penalized for waiting, Gauff went up 5-1. After saying, “I can’t go to the towel anymore?” to Veljovic, Siegemund argued her point, drawing jeers from the audience.
Gauff experienced one more setback as the match came to a close: while serving for the match at 5-2 in the third, she triple-failed three times. She only committed one other double fault over the entire 2-hour, 51-minute match.
Gauff eventually prevailed, earning her 12th victory in 13 games since the poor performance at the All England Club. The American has won two of his career’s largest titles during this recent run, and he also defeated No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
The quarterfinal matchup between Gauff and Swiatek may occur next week.
Swiatek defeated Rebecca Peterson 6-0, 6-1 in the opening match on Monday in Ashe, looking ready to make a major defense of her U.S. Open championship. However, the going was tough for some of the top-seeded players overall.
The 63rd-ranked Roberto Carballes Baena defeated the No. 4 male, Holger Rune, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; the No. 8 woman, Maria Sakkari, fell to Rebeka Masarova, 6-4, 6-4.
Sakkari later admitted that the smell of marijuana irritated her.
“The odor. In the opening set, Sakkari exclaimed to the chair umpire, “Oh, my God. It was marijuana.
Before the contest, Rune had a complaint of his own.
The 20-year-old, a two-time major quarterfinalist who is regarded as one of the upcoming stars in men’s tennis, was not happy about being assigned to Court 5 and posted a map of the venue to help his fans find it.
Afterward, Rune stated, “I just didn’t expect to play on that court.” It’s understandably disappointing, but I won’t put the blame for the defeat on the court.