Coco Gauff kicked off the defense of her US Open crown with a dominant 6-2 6-0 win over Varvara Gracheva, needing just one hour and six minutes to reach the second round.

The world No. 3 has struggled for form in the second half of the season, including a recent defeat in her first match of the Cincinnati Open where she was defending champion.

On Monday, however, Gauff looked a lot closer to her best.

The 20-year-old said a follower on TikTok helped her change her perspective coming into the US Open as defending champion.

“Somebody commented on my TikTok and they were like: ‘You’ve won in life, literally and figuratively, and there’s no point in piling pressure on yourself on a victory lap.’

“I’m just treating this tournament like that. If you defend something, that means you won something. If you did it, that means you can do it again. 

So whether I do it again this year or not, I am going to do it again, whether it’s 2024 or not – I will do it again.”

Gauff acknowledged there is “a lot of pressure” coming into the US Open but that she is now able to enjoy it.

“If I played this last week I feel like it would be really difficult, but my perspective has changed a lot over seven days,” she added.

“I was just trying to enjoy the match. I enjoyed it today and obviously it was straightforward, but even if it was tighter these are the moments you live for. I am just happy to be back on this court and playing like I did.

“I know the last few weeks have been a little bit tough and I think this has been the best tennis I have played in a while.”

Gauff will face Tatjana Maria in the second round.

Elsewhere, Gauff’s compatriot Taylor Fritz defeated Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-5 6-1 6-2. Fritz reached the quarterfinals of the US Open last year, a career-best performance in New York.

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Source: Tampa Bay Times