Coco Gauff Begins US Open Title Quest With Straight-Sets Win Over Zeynep Sonmez

Coco Gauff began her bid for a second US Open championship with a composed 6-3, 6-4 victory over Türkiye’s Zeynep Sonmez on Tuesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The fourth-seeded American took 1 hour, 20 minutes to advance to the second round, controlling the match for long stretches before regaining her footing midway through the second set when Sonmez began to raise her level.

The result tied for the second-shortest first-round match of Gauff’s US Open career. That efficiency was particularly notable considering the 22-year-old had been pushed to three sets in five of her previous seven opening-round appearances at Flushing Meadows.

Playing the opening night session on Ashe, Gauff looked increasingly comfortable as the match progressed. Sonmez produced several impressive moments that even earned applause from her opponent, including a running down-the-line winner after chasing down a ball deep in the corner and a cleverly disguised volley with unusual spin that barely cleared the net.

But most of the evening’s highlights belonged to Gauff. After taking the opening set 6-3, Gauff encountered a tougher challenge in the second. Sonmez increased her aggression and began finding more success, forcing Gauff to work harder for her opportunities.

Gauff responded by tightening her play and reclaiming control, eventually closing out the straight-set victory. One of the most encouraging aspects of the performance was Gauff’s effectiveness behind her second serve. She won 64% of her second-serve points, the third-highest percentage she has recorded in a US Open match.

That represents a significant contrast to the serving struggles that followed Gauff into last year’s tournament.

Gauff arrived at Flushing Meadows in 2025 battling confidence issues with her serve and began working with a new coach on the eve of the tournament. With little time to make meaningful adjustments, she survived a difficult opening match before eventually being eliminated comfortably by Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.

This year, however, Gauff returned to New York with considerably more momentum.

She won the Cincinnati title shortly before the US Open, repeating the feat from 2023, when she also captured the Cincinnati tournament before going on to win her first Grand Slam title as a teenager at Flushing Meadows.

Her current run of form also includes semifinal appearances at Wimbledon and Toronto, giving her another strong platform as she attempts to make another deep run in New York.

Gauff’s potential path forward will become clearer after the completion of the first round. She will face either Paula Badosa or Daria Kasatkina in the second round. Beyond the pursuit of another US Open trophy, Gauff also has an opportunity to make a push for the No. 1 ranking.

Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula are all in contention for the top spot following the tournament. For Gauff to finish the US Open as the world’s No. 1 player, however, she must win the championship and have Rybakina lose before the semifinals.

For now, Gauff can focus on the immediate task. Her opening-night performance was not necessarily a spectacular display, but it was the kind of controlled victory a Grand Slam contender needs early in a tournament. She handled Sonmez’s best stretches, produced when necessary and avoided the three-set battle that has become familiar to her in US Open openers.

A year after struggling through New York, Gauff has returned with confidence, momentum and a clear opportunity to make another run at the championship.