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Cori "Coco" Gauff

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#1 · (Edited)


Name: Cori "Coco" Gauff
Born: March 13, 2004
Residence: Delray Beach, Florida
Nationality: United States of America
Plays right-handed / double-handed backhand
Height: 5 ft. 9 in.
Coach: Corey Gauff / Gerard Loglo
Age started tennis: 7
 
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#6 ·
THank u for creating a thread for coco RU90, I just about to create one for her myself.

I think Coco and Whitney going be so in future
 
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#12 ·
 
#13 ·
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/ar...een_gauff_impresses_in_junior_slam_debut.html

American teen Gauff impresses in junior Slam debut

By Ashley Marshall

Tuesday, September 05, 2017

In many ways, Cori "Coco" Gauff is your typical 13-year-old girl.

She likes watching "Dancing with the Stars," listening to Beyonce and playing Temple Run on her cell phone. She giggles when she says he has a love-hate relationship with algebra and spends her free time watching her younger brothers play baseball and flag football.

But in many other ways, there's nothing typical about this tennis prodigy, who is already makes waves in the tennis world despite becoming a teenager less than six months ago.

She received a sponsorship deal from Nike when she was 10 years old and trained at Patrick Mourotaglou's tennis academy in France, where she met her idol Serena Williams. Earlier this summer, she led Team USA to the World Junior Tennis championship in Prostejov, Czech Republic, and on Monday in New York she won her first junior Grand Slam main-draw match in front of more than 200 fans on Court 6 as the US Open entered its second week.

"I'm happy they like me," Coco said with a wide smile in a small interview space inside the media center at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. "It was very positive. Even when I lost a point, they were still cheering me on.

"I thought I played well. I was happy that I was able to win my first Grand Slam main-draw match. Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous. I settled down and just played it like a regular match. My dad told me to pretend it was a practice match back home and fortunately the crowd was cheering for me very loudly so I’m happy to have them on my side."

As an encore, less than 24 hours later, Coco upset the fifth-ranked junior in the world, Carson Branstine, in straight sets to move into the round of 16.

Despite being just 13 years old, Coco looks, and plays, as though she's much older. A growth spurt over the past year has seen her shoot up four inches to 5-foot-10. With a wide wingspan and an improved backhand, she’s becoming a dangerous threat from either flank behind the baseline. Now, she’s focusing on her transition game and her volleys, something that will make her a more well-rounded player.

Coco credits her athleticism to her parents, even if her height is definitely from her dad.

"I've always been tall for my age," she said. “My mom's 5-5, but my dad's whole side of the family is 6-3 for the men and 5-10 or higher for the girls. Sport runs in my family. If I didn't play tennis, I'd definitely be playing a sport. "

Her dad, Corey, played Atlantic Sun Conference collegiate basketball for the Georgia State Panthers and still holds the school record for most steals in a game, while her mom, Candi, was an elite 110-meter hurdler and, before that, an award-winning dancer and talented gymnast.

Coco started playing tennis when she was 7 years old after deciding she didn't enjoy playing soccer.

"I wasn't much of a team person," she says. "I loved tennis. I was so-so about it in the beginning because when I was younger I didn't want to practice at all. I just wanted to play with my friends. When I turned 8, that was when I played 'Little Mo' and after that I decided to do that for the rest of my life."

Little Mo is a national tournament for children 8 years old and under. After winning that, she started playing more matches and more tournaments, growing with confidence as she went. She won the U12 USTA Clay Court Nationals tournament in 2014 and, five days before Christmas 2016, captured the Girls’ 12s Junior Orange Bowl -- a tournament which has included Madison Keys, Laura Siegemund, Sesil Karatantcheva and Tatiana Golovin as past winners.

Playing, and winning, big matches on big stages doesn't faze the teen, who plays with a lot of emotion and handles herself with confidence. While most players would be happy to just be competing in a junior Grand Slam, Coco is setting her sights higher.

"Honestly, my dad and I always play a tournament to win it," she said. "Hopefully if I can get to the finals and win the tournament, it would be a good experience, but I'm already proud of myself for making it to the second round."

There were no big celebrations after her first-round win, a 6-2, 7-6 triumph over Serbian 17-year-old Draginja Vukovic, on Court 6, the same court where CiCi Bellis made a name for herself in the main draw as a 14-year-old against Dominika Cibulkova in 2014. Instead, Coco had to complete some homework.

She started online school when she was in third grade and now takes classes through Florida Virtual Flex, an online public school for the state of Florida that allows students to study at their own pace. When she’s back at home in Florida and not on the tennis court or at the computer, you’ll find her playing with her siblings, listening to music or watching her favorite shows.

She enjoys watching 9-year-old Codey’s football practices and 4-year-old Cameron’s T-ball games and watching “13 Reasons Why” and “Riverdale” on Netflix. She has Rihanna and Nicki Minaj tunes on her cell phone and is a big fan of Cardi B and her new song, "Bodak Yellow". If she isn’t playing Subway Surfer, she’ll pick up a new book to read. The latest, "The Hate U Give," is a New York Times best seller on the young-adult chart and something Coco is excited to dig into once the US Open is over.

"School is definitely a priority of my parents," Coco said. "They both went to college and my grandmother and mom are both teachers. School takes priority over tennis and if my grades weren't good I'd probably take a break from tennis for a while to get those back up."

Her grandmother Deborah, "Mama D" to Coco, is one of her biggest fans. She traveled to New York with Coco's mom and dad and is often the most vocal of her courtside supporters.

"She's still learning when she can cheer and when she can't cheer, but she's getting better," Coco said in between laughs. "She's very loud at times. She gets very pumped up during the match. I get that from her. I like it."

Part of that raw emotion also probably comes from watching 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, whom Coco grew up idolizing and later got to meet during a trip to France.

"The first time I met Serena, I did a commercial when I was 10 and met her briefly," Coco said. "Then I met her again at the opening ceremony for Patrick Mouratoglou’s academy in Nice. It was like a dream. It felt like it wasn’t really real. She told me to keep doing what I’m doing and to keep working hard. We got to take a picture and she complimented me on my dress and said I was super tall. I was her height, but I'm pretty tall for a 12-year-old.”

As for the future, Coco says she believes she can do anything if she works hard enough.

"Next year I'll be 14 and I'll be able to play some pro tournaments," she said. "I don't know exactly which level yet, but hopefully some 15K or 25 Ks. Next year maybe I'll play the hard court 18s in San Diego and maybe I could do well enough to get a wild card into qualies here. For the next couple years, when I'm 15 hopefully I'll be able to get into Grand Slams on my own. I'm excited to see what the future has for me.

"I always believe that I can do anything when I put my mind to it. And right now, that's about being the greatest of all time. I feel like I can do that. I just need to stay focused and keep working hard and believing in myself and having positive support around me. It won't happen in the next couple years, but hopefully 10, 15 years from now, I'll be considered one of the greatest."
 
#14 ·
http://tenniskalamazoo.blogspot.de/2017/09/six-us-players-reach-quarterfinals-at.html

Two wild cards playing their first junior slam will face off in one of the quarterfinals, with 15-year-old Katie Volynets meeting 13-year-old prodigy Coco Gauff. Volynets defeated Anastasia Kharitonova of Russia 6-3, 7-6(4), while Gauff closed out the night on the Grandstand Court with a 6-4, 6-3 win over yet another wild card, Dalayna Hewitt.

While fans were filing into Arthur Ashe Stadium for the Venus Williams - Sloane Stephens semifinal, Gauff and Hewitt were playing in a mostly empty Grandstand. With the changeover music, the Hawkeye system and the serve speed display, there was plenty for a young junior to get used to, but despite some patchy play in the opening few games, Gauff said she adjusted quickly.

"I actually adjusted right away, right after the warmup," Gauff said. "I really liked the court, the atmosphere was good, with the music playing on the changeovers and all that, I really liked it."

Gauff was familiar enough with Hewitt's powerful game to know that long rallies were not going to be a regular occurrence.

"I think I played well from the start and after I got used to her missing and making, I think I just needed to hit more balls," said Gauff, who fell behind 3-0 in the second set, but won the final six games of the match. "We didn't hit many balls today; we probably hit more balls in practice than in the match. I knew going in it was going to be short rallies--I think our longest rally was like six balls. It was win or miss today."

Gauff is not old enough to play pro events, but recognizes that Hewitt hits the ball as powerfully as most pros. Dealing with and creating pace has never bothered her however.

"I'm pretty sure she hit more winners than me, but she made a lot more unforced errors," Gauff said. "I knew I could handle the power, that's never really been a problem for me, handling power or hitting with power. When I was 10, I was working on my consistency, because I was error-prone, but now my consistency is better and I want to be a good ball striker."

Gauff and Volynets met in the semifinals of the 18s Clay Courts in July, with Volynets winning 6-2, 6-2.

"I think she's really consistent and she doesn't get pumped up or down," said Gauff. "And she wears shades too, so you don't know if you're aggravating her or not. She doesn't have any weapons, she doesn't hit that powerful, compared to Dalayna, so I think if I don't make too many unforced errors and go for safer targets, hopefully I'll be able to pull out a win."
Gauff on Volynets: "She doesn't have any weapons" :oh:
 
#18 ·
She seems to be one to watch for sure judging her results in U18 lately. :eek: Obviously she is physically more matured than other 13yo, which is an advantage, but her results would still be impressive at 15 or 16. Really exciting to follow her future development. :yeah:
Would love to see an All American Juniors final between her and Anisimova. Will be a tough battle against the South Americans.
 
#19 ·
http://tenniskalamazoo.blogspot.de/2017/09/gauff-anisimova-reach-us-open-junior.html

Sixteen-year-old Amanda Anisimova wants a junior slam title before she moves on to the pro tour. Thirteen-year-old Coco Gauff simply wants to win every tournament she enters. Both moved closer to those goals on Friday, posting straight-sets victories in the quarterfinals of the US Open Junior Championships.
I love this beginning of the article :lol:

Coco Gauff is playing in her first junior slam main draw, and this is only her fourth ITF junior event. But in her quarterfinal match today, Gauff faced another precocious wild card, 15-year-old Katie Volynets, who had beaten Gauff 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals of USTA 18s Clay Courts back in July. Today she turned the tables on Volynets, earning a 6-3, 6-2 victory and a place in Saturday's semifinals against Maria Carle of Argentina, who took out No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina of Russia 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

"It definitely motivated me," Gauff said of the loss to Volynets in Memphis. "I played a little different today. I was still hitting my shots, but I was more consistent than last time, going for safer targets, not trying to go for the lines. I knew I could beat her if I just stayed calm and didn't make as many unforced errors."

Gauff, who made the final of the Grade 1 in College Park Maryland last month, said she is not surprised to find herself in the semifinals.

"Every tournament I play, I play to win it," Gauff said. "I never go into a tournament thinking oh, second round would be good enough. I always think I can win it. And even if I'm proud of myself for making it this far, of course I always want to do my best and make it to the end."

Gauff said she is not familiar with Carle's game, but will ask her father for a scouting report.

"I'm sure my dad will tell me how she plays after," said Gauff. "He went and watched her matches at College Park, so I think I'll have a good game plan going into the match."
She has the attitude/mindset of a champion
 
#22 ·
Very impressive to reach junior US Open final as a 13 yo ! :eek: :speakles: :worship:

A dream final now 13 yo Gauff vs 16 yo Anisimova. Both very talented girls
 
#23 ·
http://www.itftennis.com/news/269912.aspx

Cori Gauff is right where she expects to be, thank you. And that just happens to be in the US Open Junior Girls’ singles title match.

“Every tournament I play I play to win,” the 13-year-old American said. “Making the semifinals is great, but my goal is to win the tournament.”

That could be Sunday when the lanky youngster takes on fellow American Amanda Anisimova, who beat Colombia’s Emiliana Arango 6-4, 6-1 in her semifinal on the hard courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. After a slow start, Gauff got her game into high gear to wipe aside Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina 7-5, 6-0.

“If I have a goal, it’s to win the tournament,” Gauff said. “I don’t limit myself to reaching the second or third round.”

Of course, this is the same young woman who, when asked about her long-range plans, said, “I want to be the greatest of all time.”

It’s the third straight Grand Slam tournament where the junior girls’ final has been an all-American affair. Whitney Osuigwe beat Claire Liu for the French Open title, with Liu stopping Ann Li for the top prize at Wimbledon.

Anisimova was seeded fourth in the 64-player draw, while Gauff, not surprisingly, was unseeded.
And that brings us back to the supremely confident Gauff.

“I made a couple of unforced errors and got a little bit nervous” at the beginning of her encounter against the 17-year-old Carle, who also was playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal. “Dad talked me down. I tried to keep focus and play like it’s my last point,” Gauff said.

Carle was impressed with her opponent.

“I played good, but she plays very good,” Carle said of Gauff. “I am very happy reaching the semifinals. I realize I can play with the best.”
 
#24 ·
http://tenniskalamazoo.blogspot.de/2017/09/americans-gauff-and-anisimova-meet-for.html

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Americans Gauff and Anisimova Meet for US Open Girls Title

For the third consecutive junior slam, the championship match will feature two American girls, with 13-year-old Coco Gauff challenging 16-year-old Amanda Anisimova for the US Open girls title.

No. 4 seed Anisimova defeated unseeded Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-4, 6-1 to earn her second trip to a junior final, while wild card Gauff won the final nine games of the match to beat unseeded Maria Carle of Argentina 7-5, 6-0 on a cool and sunny day at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The parallels between Anisimova, who reached the French Open girls final at age 14, and Gauff, who is the youngest girl ever to reach US Open junior final, are unmistakable, but even Anisimova is impressed with the precocity of Gauff.

“This is an incredible run for her,” said Anisimova, who had played just one main draw match at a junior slam before reaching the French final in 2016. “I can’t imagine playing the finals at 13. She’s an amazing player and I have a lot of respect for her. I played her last year at Hard Courts, but I’m sure she’s improved a lot since then. I think she’s a powerful hitter, so I’m just going out playing my game, as I usually do, and see how it goes.”
Gauff admitted that nerves cost her the 4-2 lead she had built up in the opening set.

“I made a couple of unforced errors and lost the 4-3 game, and I got a little bit nervous,” Gauff said. “But once I got to 4-5, I talked to my dad and he calmed me down, and after that I didn’t lose a game.”

Carle’s slice did present a challenge for Gauff, but staying in the long rallies with Carle proved to be a psychological boost for Gauff.

“I won most of the long rallies and I think that brought her down a little bit,” Gauff said. “Her game plan was to make me hit as many balls as possible and once I started winning those long rallies, she tried to do other things and I started moving forward and closing at the net. I tried changing the height of the ball, not give her a steady ball. I think the strongest part of her game was her slice; I haven’t played that many players, especially girls, who have a good slice like that, who hit as many slices as her. I think her game plan was to hit slices to my backhand and move me out to my forehand. That’s what she was doing in the first set and it was working, but I figured it out and settled in.”

Gauff is anticipating a hard-hitting battle in Sunday’s final.

“I know she’s a very powerful hitter, but I think if I play my best and stay calm, I’ll hopefully be able to pull out the win,” said Gauff, who is playing in her first main draw of a junior slam. “Even though this is the finals, I try to think of it as a first round match and I’m looking forward to playing it. All I want to do is have fun out there.”
 
#26 ·
Hopefully she doesn't take this loss to hard. :awww: :hug:
Should be proud of what she has achieved at this Young age already. :) If she keeps her Progress up and doesn't let any form of hype get to her and keeps working hard, she can go very far! :yeah: So much positives to take away for her. :D
 
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