By Nicole Fernandes
Aug 27 (Reuters) - After claiming her first title of the season at the Cincinnati Open, Coco Gauff will be aiming to keep her winning momentum going and make a championship run at the U.S. Open in New York as she seeks a third Grand Slam crown.
The American world number four had been itching for a trophy this year, having come close on several occasions.
She lost in the finals in Miami and Rome and reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and in Toronto before defeating compatriot Jessica
Pegula for the Cincinnati title.
Gauff will lean on that experience heading into the U.S. Open.
“It’s going to be tough in New York, but just knowing the quality wins that I had this week, knowing that I’m able to figure it out even if I’m not playing my best, but also knowing that I can play that great tennis that I felt like I was playing this week,” Gauff told reporters after her final victory.
“Just learning to be more aggressive in these points and hopefully I can use the experience here in New York.”
The 22-year-old also feels more confident about her game, having welcomed biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan onto her team last year to help address issues with her serve.
She still leads the tour in double faults this season but is happy with her progress.
“I think I’m just going big, honestly. I feel like I’m really confident on my serve now, so I’m going for it pretty much almost all times, unless I feel like my percentage is too low,” Gauff told the Tennis Channel after her second-round victory over Liudmila Samsonova in Cincinnati.
“But I think the biggest thing that has made the difference is just mixing up the versatility. I feel like I’m mixing it up a lot on my serve, so it’s tough to read, and, yeah, I think I’m doing a good job with that and just trying to keep improving.”
With a trophy under her belt, Gauff is tuning out criticism and riding a wave of momentum into New York, where she won her first Grand Slam title in 2023.
“The most important part for me that I’ve learned is just to focus on me and continuing to get better,” said Gauff.
“Like with everything, hard work doesn’t lie and the results will come. That’s the thing I’ve learned, just to trust the process.”
(Reporting by Nicole Fernandes in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)
