Coco Gauff books spot in Washington D.C. main draw

Fifteen-year-old American Cori “Coco” Gauff booked her spot in the main draw of the Citi Open in Washington DC on Sunday, beating Japan’s Hiroko Kuwata in the final round of qualifying, 6-1, 6-2.

After needing 68 minutes to beat No. 338-ranked Maegan Manasse in the first round of qualies on Saturday, 6-4, 6-2, Gauff was even more dialed in against the No. 265-ranked Kuwata, losing just three points on her first serve and fighting off all three break points she faced to win in 64 minutes.

She even won seven games in a row at one point to go from 1-all in the first set to a 6-1, 2-0 lead.

“I’m really happy to get into the main draw,” Gauff said in her post-match press conference. “I feel like these two matches have prepped me for my first round match, considering I had never been to this tournament before. I’m glad I was able to come and get a feel for how it is playing on site here.”

Gauff is now through to the third WTA main draw of her blossoming career. She got a wildcard into the Miami Open in March, reaching the second round before falling to Daria Kasatkina. She then became the youngest woman in the Open Era to qualify for Wimbledon, taking out Venus Williams in the first round and making it to the fourth round before falling to eventual champion Simona Halep.

She was the youngest woman to reach the second week of a Grand Slam since Anna Kournikova at the 1996 US Open, and the youngest to do it at Wimbledon since Jennifer Capriati back in 1991.

“I definitely think I’ve figured out my game a bit more since Miami,” she said. “As a teenager you’re always learning about yourself and your game, and I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a person since then, and I think that kind of shows in my results. I definitely have a lot more confidence, and I feel like I’m putting a lot less pressure on myself. I’m enjoying it more and not necessarily thinking about losing.

“I’m just thinking about playing each point.”

Her first round opponent in the main draw will be Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas, whose best Grand Slam results have been two trips to the fourth round of Wimbledon - in 2014 and 2015 - and who reached a career-high ranking of No. 31 back in 2015. She’s currently ranked No. 84 in the world.

Gauff is also in the doubles draw this week as a wildcard pairing with Catherine McNally.

“I’m super excited to play doubles,” Gauff said. “I played with Caty last year at the US Open juniors and we ended up winning it. I’m super excited to play with her at a professional level now. I’ve known her for a long time and she’s one of the sweetest people ever. I’m honestly excited. I think Caty and I are great together on the court. I’m excited to see how we do - I think we’re going to do well.”

They’ll open their doubles campaign Monday against fellow Americans Manasse and Hayley Carter.