Coco Gauff is back on the scene of her biggest triumph as she prepares to defend her US Open crown, beginning August 26. Since making her debut as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon 2019, she was touted for greatness. It took her some time but she finally fulfilled the promise in New York last year.
Gauff tasted considerable success in the first half of this season. She defended her title in Auckland and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, the Indian Wells Open, the Italian Open, and the French Open. She also claimed her first Major title in doubles at the claycourt Slam.
However, the American has underperformed in recent weeks. She made the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open upon her return to hardcourts but crashed out in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, where she was the defending champion as well.
Gauff will now aim to regroup and mount a successful title defense at the US Open. She’s certainly capable of doing so, provided she channels the form she displayed to win the title last year. On that note, here’s a look at the milestones Gauff could achieve if she wins the US Open:
#1 – Coco Gauff could become the first player since Serena Williams to defend her US Open title
It has been nearly a decade since the last successful title defense at the US Open. Serena Williams was the previous player to accomplish this feat when she claimed her third straight title at the venue in 2014. Since the start of the century, only three women have won back-to-back titles in New York.
Williams was the most recent one, with Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams being the other two with their title defenses in 2010 and 2001, respectively. Sloane Stephens’ quarterfinal appearance in 2018 marks the best performance by a defending US Open champion in recent years.
Gauff can do something that hasn’t been done in a decade. Matching the likes of Serena Williams is no easy feat, so the American youngster will need to be on her toes right off the bat.
#2 – Become the 10th woman in the Open Era to defend her maiden Grand Slam title
Winning a Major title for the first time is an incredible feeling. However, backing up the win the following year is even more special. It’s not easy to defend a title as the additional pressure may hinder a player’s performance.
While many players have defended a Major title later in their careers, only a few women have successfully defended their very first Grand Slam title. Only nine women in the Open Era have managed to defend their maiden Major title thus far.
Chris Evert was the first to do so when she backed up her French Open win in 1975. Martina Navratilova was the next with a successful title defense at Wimbledon in 1979. Almost a decade later, Steffi Graf joined their ranks with her French Open victory in 1988.
Monica Seles accomplished the feat a few years later when she defended her French Open title in 1991. While this achievement was limited to natural surfaces so far, Martina Hingis broke the trend with her title defense at the Australian Open in 1998.
Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams backed up their maiden Major victories in 2001 with title defenses at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, respectively. Victoria Azarenka made herself a part of this elite club by defending her Australian Open crown in 2013.
More than a decade later, Azarenka’s compatriot Aryna Sabalenka did the same Down Under. The latter won her very first Major title at the Australian Open in 2023, and defended it this year, that too without losing a set.
With only nine women doing this in over half a century, this could prove to be a tough task for Gauff to accomplish. However, if she does manage to do it, she would further solidify her credentials as a top player.
#3 – Become the youngest player to defend a Major title in 26 years
Many young prodigies struggle to maintain a steady level of success. Some shine bright for a while only to fade away in no time. Martina Hingis was an exception as she maintained her dominance for quite a few years as a teen phenom.
Hingis remains the youngest woman to win a Major at the age of 16 years and three months with her triumph at the Australian Open in 1997. She was successful in her title defense the following year and became the youngest woman to defend a Grand Slam title.
Since Hingis’ victory as a teenager, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Bianca Andreescu, and Emma Raducanu won their first Major titles as a teenager. However, no one was able to defend their titles the following year. Should Gauff manage to achieve this at the US Open in a couple of weeks, she would be the first to do so in over a quarter of a century.
