Coco Gauff produced a scintillating performance for defending champions USA in their Group A clash against Argentina at the United Cup on Sunday. Gauff was asked to do a double play to help Team USA edge past the Argentines after countryman Taylor Fritz had lost his singles match against Sebastian Baez.
Gauff first breezed past Solana Sierra in her singles game to level the contest and then paired up with Christian Harrison to take down Maria Lourdes Carle and Guido Andreozzi, 6-4, 6-1 in the decisive mixed doubles event to seal a 2-1 win for Team USA.
After the game, Gauff addressed some media questions in a press conference, where one journalist asked the American about her performance in the crucial mixed doubles match, despite her limited experience in the discipline.
Unreal reactions 🤯
Gauff & Harrison edge a thrilling net duel 🤺#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/R0rBTiMk85
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 3, 2026
“Yeah, honestly, I was, like, kind of hyping myself up. Yes, I feel like I haven’t played in a while, so you never know what to expect. Then I remind myself that I had good results in doubles, even though I don’t play as much, but obviously, winning the slam and being No. 1 twice, I was telling myself to remind myself of that on the court,” Gauff replied.
“I was, like, don’t forget who you are. Whenever I play mixed, I feel like the worst player on the court most times, but today I didn’t feel like that (laughing),” she added.
Coco Gauff Reflects On The Changed Mindset After USA Went 1-0 Down In The Opening Round
In the same press conference, a journalist asked Gauff what she thought about the order of play as she played her singles game right after the men’s clash. The situation became more demanding for the World No. 3 after Fritz lost his match against Baez, and then Gauff had to mandatorily win her game to avoid a loss for Team USA in the United Cup opener.
Addressing the question and reflecting on her mental tenacity, Gauff said, “I mean, last year I did prefer to play first, because it was like, okay, whew, I got my match out the way. No, this year I knew for a while I was going to be the first match, so I was just mentally preparing myself.”
“I definitely think it’s harder to be in that position regardless of the scenario, even if you’re up 1-0. There’s pressure because you don’t want to be the reason, and down 0-1 is obviously pressure to stay in it,” she added.
“Yeah, I just try to literally just tell myself it’s a regular tournament win or go out, go home type situation and try not to think of it as letting down my team,” Gauff concluded.
Gauff is expected to be in action next in Perth, Australia, when the defending champions play their second group game against Spain on Monday.
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