‘I can raise my level if I need to do’: Coco Gauff opens US Open title bid with straight-sets win | Tennis News

Coco Gauff, of the United States, hits a return to Zeynep Sonmez, of Turkey, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Coco Gauff began her US Open campaign with a straight-set win, but her opening match was far from effortless. The fourth-seeded American defeated Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-4 and had to deal with some impressive moments from her opponent.Gauff even applauded a couple of Sonmez’s best shots, including a running forehand down the line and a cleverly spun volley that barely cleared the net.“I know that I can raise my level if I need to do and I like to challenge my opponent to let them keep up the level the whole match,” Gauff said. “And if they do, I clap my hands and I walk off court with my head held high.”Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, now moves into the second round, where she will face either Paula Badosa or Daria Kasatkina.Gauff’s build-up to this year’s tournament has been far more encouraging than last year. She won the Cincinnati title after reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon and Toronto, giving her plenty of momentum heading into New York.Last year, serving problems forced Gauff to make major changes just before the US Open. She eventually reached the fourth round before losing to Naomi Osaka.Her 2023 Cincinnati title also proved to be a sign of things to come, as she went on to win her first US Open crown by beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Dramatic comebacks and rain interruptions

Tuesday also produced two major comebacks. Maria Sakkari recovered from 6-2, 4-0 down to beat Robin Montgomery 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, while fifth-seeded Flavio Cobolli fought back from two sets down to defeat Francisco Comesana after more than four hours.“Just kept telling myself that everything is possible and just try to get myself in a good place mentally and just try to be a little bit more positive, try to make more balls, get myself into the match,” Sakkari said. “Because, I mean, everyone’s very good in tennis nowadays, but specifically that girl I played today doesn’t have the experience that I do. So I just told myself, let’s try and hang in there, try and make more balls, and it worked.“Cobolli summed up the Grand Slam mentality simply: “In Grand Slams it’s never done. You have to fight until the last point,” he said.Rain caused repeated delays, restricting play mainly to the two stadiums with retractable roofs before more matches were pushed to Wednesday.