Coco Gauff battles into US Open second round

NEW YORK:

Coco Gauff

channeled her coach Brad Gilbert’s ‘winning ugly’ philosophy in the opening night session at

Flushing Meadows

. The sixth-seeded American rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over German qualifier

Laura Siegemund

in the

US Open

.
“I definitely won ugly,” the 19-year-old said of a night, where she not only called out her 35-yearold opponent’s delaying tactics but even took on chair umpire Marijana Veljovic’s inconsistencies.
Gauff ’s win – in which she showcased a tougher, bolder fiber –came on an evening when the 50th anniversary of equal prizemoney at the US Open was being celebrated.
Former first lady Michelle Obama, the keynote speaker, applauded Billie Jean King’s leadership that triggered a revolution that went ‘beyond a pay cheque’, setting the tone for the way ‘women were seen and valued in the world’.

The only thing that rang brighter than Gauff ’s two-piece neon outfit on the night was her attitude in the match.
The American refused to settle. After patiently waiting for over two hours, Gauff walked up to the chair umpire in the latter part of the third set.
“She’s never ready when I’m serving. She went over the clock four times, you gave her a time violation once. How is this fair?” Gauff questioned.
The Obamas, the former American president and his wife, who cheered Gauff to her comeback win, waited for the teenager to complete her recovery before congratulating her in person.

“I’ve met Mrs. Obama before. They told me it was just her initially,” Gauff said.
“Then Mr Obama was there in the room too. I was like, Oh, my God! Mrs. Oba -ma said it’s good to speak up for myself. I think she was happy that I spoke up for myself today.”
Gauff is quick around the court, even when the ball is not in play. Siegemund is crafty. For most part of the match the German set the pace between points, winding down the clock on her serve and making the sixth seed wait before she served. The Gauff box - Gilbert, Pere Riba and physio Maria Vago in the front –urged her to speak to the chair umpire.

The American went up a double-break in the volatile sixth game when she approached the chair umpire on the time her opponent was taking. Siegemund was docked a point shortly after.
“The umpire was calling the score a couple of seconds after the point was finished, so it made it look like I was serving abnormally fast,” Gauff said.
“I’m not a fast server. I’m not a slow one. I’m like right in the middle.” After the 26-minute opening game of the second set when Gauff broke serve, the German qualifier sat down at the changeover.
“I told the umpire she’s not allowed to sit down, but she said, ‘it was a long game’,” Gauff said.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a long game. Endurance is part of

tennis

.”
“I think officiating needs to be the same regardless of the player,” Gauff said.
“That’s why a lot of players get mad when these time violations are called because one ref is letting them go over, the other is more strict on the time.”
Next up for Gauff is Russian 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva.