Tennis

Coco Gauff Fans Scramble for an Up-Close Look, Even in Defeat


WASHINGTON — Even though she scaled back in terms of her stage and result, Coco Gauff, 15, continued to be the sensation of the summer in defeat on Tuesday.

Playing on the secondary John Harris Court at the Citi Open, Gauff lost, 6-4, 6-2, to the 84th-ranked Zarina Diyas in 1 hour 18 minutes, pausing the competitive component of Cocomania until the United States Open.

Despite the match’s starting at 4 p.m. on a weekday, there were long lines to get into the stands Tuesday afternoon, with dozens of fans waiting at any given time to join the smallest crowd to witness a Gauff singles match all month.

Gauff, whose given name is Cori, became a sensation when she became the youngest qualifier at Wimbledon in the Open Era and then, playing on No. 1 Court, defeated the five-time champion Venus Williams in the first round. She played her next three matches at Wimbledon on either that court, which seats more than 12,000, or in Centre Court, which seats 15,000.

Though fewer people were able to watch Gauff on Tuesday afternoon than had come out for her qualifying matches over the weekend, the presence and expectations of the crowd were more directly felt. Instead of a crowd of 3,000 being spread out in a main stadium that seats 7,500 people, the 2,500-seat John Harris Court was at capacity.

“I mean, it was packed,” Gauff said of the smaller venue. “It was pretty loud, so it felt like I was on a bigger court than what it appeared to be. I think that helped a lot.”

Though the crowd was passionate in its support, it also was expectant for Gauff, who began showing signs of frustration after twice letting a break advantage slip away in the first set.

“She looks like she’s about to cry,” one woman in the stands said to another during a prolonged 10th game. Diyas ultimately broke serve to take the set, and Gauff angrily spiked a ball down into the court. It bounded into the nearby crowd, leading to a code violation for ball abuse.

The ATP cedes only one spot on the main stadium each day to a women’s match. On Tuesday, that went to the top-seeded Sloane Stephens, who lost 6-2, 7-5 to the 70th ranked Rebecca Peterson. Gauff’s scheduling was further affected by a WTA practice of not scheduling young players to play late-night matches when possible.

Before the day ended, another teen sensation emerged: D.C.-born Hailey Baptiste, 17, knocked out second-seeded Madison Keys 7-6 (4), 6-2. Baptiste, ranked 283rd, emphatically finished the match with her fifth ace, blowing it past the 17th-ranked Keys, who greeted her at the net with an affectionate pat on the head.

Unlike other opponents felled by new arrivals this month, Diyas had been able to get a feel for Gauff’s game beforehand, playing her in a doubles loss on Monday and getting a chance to practice returning her potent serve.

“I think it a little bit helped me that I played her yesterday, so I had a feeling for her shots,” Diyas said.

Diyas has frequently been cast as the opponent against a sentimental American favorite. In 2014, she defeated the 15-year-old American CiCi Bellis in the second round of the U.S. Open, a match that Diyas recalled as having a similar atmosphere to Tuesday’s. Last year, she was the first player Serena Williams faced in singles after returning from maternity leave, losing to her in the first round of Indian Wells, Calif.

Asked if she considered beating the 146th-ranked Gauff her biggest win of her year, Diyas politely demurred, but added to the praise of Gauff’s game.

“She’s so strong, she has a great serve, she’s moving well,” Diyas said. “I think she’s going to be really big in the future.”

Though her results and play still have room to improve, imagining Gauff as a bigger sensation than she has been this month is difficult.

Demand to see her, coupled with the remaining restrictions of the WTA’s age eligibility rule, is forcing subsequent tournaments to be creative. After playing her remaining doubles match or matches here, Gauff’s next tournament appearance is scheduled to be at the ATP tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., where she will play an exhibition against the WTA No. 1, Ashleigh Barty. That match will be played on the Wednesday of that tournament, after U.S. Open qualifying has begun, indicating that Gauff already knows she will receive a main draw wild card in New York.

There, Gauff could play in the world’s largest tennis venue: Arthur Ashe Stadium, which seats 23,771. If Tuesday was any indication, organizers most likely will need every seat.



READ NEWS SOURCE

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.