Coco Gauff suffered a shock defeat in her singles clash against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Monday, Jan. 5. However, she bounced back in the mixed doubles alongside her partner Christian Harrison after Taylor Fritz won his singles match against Jaume Munar in the United Cup.
With this 2-1 win, Team US, the defending champions, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the event. Expressing her delight at the resounding bounce-back victory, Gauff took to social media to share a story and congratulate Fritz and Harrison on helping their team advance in the tournament.
In the Instagram story, the 21-year-old American wrote:
“Lol had to redeem myself, glad to be moving through to the quarterfinals. Shoutout Taylor and Christian.”
Gauff’s mother, Candi, shared her excited reaction to her daughter helping Team USA reach the knockout stage of the United Cup. Candi reshared the story on her Instagram with heart emojis.
Team US earlier won its matchup against Argentina 2-1, in which the only loss came with Fritz going down against Sebastian Baez on Saturday. The defending champions finished at the top of Group A with a 2-0 record.
Coco Gauff Clarifies Her Comments After Calling the American Fans “The Worst”
Gauff had earlier exclaimed that she wished American fans would support their tennis players more when they play on different surfaces globally. Evidently, the two-time Grand Slam champion faced backlash over her comments and quickly clarified her stance in the media.
“Lol, I‘m going to clarify because people are dragging this out of context. I‘m not expecting people to travel to tournaments to watch us play. But there are many tournaments that we have in America and abroad where Americans are already attending, regardless of who is playing (excluding us open) where people come and don’t really cheer for their countrymen player,” Gauff said (via ESPN).
“Whereas those from smaller countries come with their colors and flags, and it is clear who they are supporting. I was just speaking from my perspective. Trust me, I understand the financial aspect of things and know tennis is not accessible for everyone; it was more of a comment for those who are already attending and how I wish they were as passionate as those from other countries, more specifically, team events,” she added.
“People don’t owe me anything. I was just honestly answering a question I was asked, and it was simply an observation I noticed about other countries vs mine, that is all. Nevertheless, I am grateful for any support, no matter how big or small it is,” she concluded.
