Professional tennis star Coco Gauff knows what it takes to win. To achieve that, the 19-year-old needs to focus on opposing players, especially against tested netters such as Caroline Wozniacki.
Over at the US Open, Gauff did just that - particularly in the second set. At that point, the teen asked one of her coaches, Brad Gilbert, to stop talking to her after letting the second set slip away, the Associated Press reported.
"Please stop," Gauff said, "Stop talking."
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After that forgettable set, the Florida native got her act together and won the last six games. She defeated Wozniacki, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Sunday, September 3, to advance to the US Open quarterfinals.
The feat also made Coco Gauff the first American teenager since Serena Williams more than two decades ago to reach the quarterfinal stage of the US Open.
"I was getting frustrated. It wasn't really directed at him. It was just that I needed to reset," the sixth-seeded Gauff said. "In that moment, I just didn't want to hear anything. I just wanted to think about what I was doing."
Gauff could face Swiatek anew
Looking ahead, things will not get any easier for Gauff. She will face either defending champion Iga Swiatek or No. 20 seed Jelena Ostapenko.
Of the two, Swiatek is no stranger to Gauff. The teen lost to the Polish tennis player at the 2022 French Open, 6-1, 6-3, to cop the women's singles crown, ESPN reported.
However, the 19-year-old got her first win over Swiatek last month, beating the Polish player, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, to reach the WTA 1000 final in Cincinnati, the Guardian reported.
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