Coco in Photos—15 scenes from the 15-year-old's remarkable rookie year
From a fourth-round run at Wimbledon to her first WTA title, it's been a season of success for the young American standout.
11. Dropping the first three games, of her first match at Flushing Meadows, it seemed as if Gauff was battling nerves from being on one of the biggest stages in tennis. But she was able to relax and fight her way back to defeat Anastasia Potapova in three sets.
12. The teenage phenom has personified the quote, "it's not over until it's over." Gauff would capture another three-set thriller against world No. 103 Timea Babos to set up a third-round clash with defending champion Naomi Osaka.
13. Who can forget this moment? Gauff, who suffered a convincing defeat at the hands of the two-time Grand Slam champion, was in tears and getting ready to exit the court—when Osaka stepped in to comfort the rising star.
14. In Linz, Gauff began the main draw as a lucky loser. By the tournament's end, she was its champion. On her way to winning her first WTA title, she also claimed her first Top 10 win, against Kiki Bertens in the quarterfinals.
15. Just last week in Luxembourg, Gauff and McNally, dubbed "McCoco," paired up once again and captured their second WTA doubles title. The duo lost only one set and topped three seeded teams in their title pursuit.
—Monday: Coco's cover story, from the November/December issue of TENNIS Magazine
—Tuesday: U.S. Fed Cup captain Kathy Rinaldi breaks down Gauff's backhand, frame by frame
—Wednesday: Chris Evert on Serena Williams' possible successors
—Thursday: Steve Tignor on Corey's and Coco's father-daughter, and coach-player, relationship
—Friday: Coco in Photos—looking back at a breakthrough year
Remarkable; memorable; inspiring. These are just three words that sum up 15-year-old Coco Gauff's breakthrough half-season in the pros. Here are 15 photos that attempt to do the same:
1. Gauff made her WTA tour debut in March, at the Miami Open. It was a successful one: she defeated fellow American teen and doubles partner Caty McNally, before losing her second-rounder to Daria Kasatkina.
2. The 15-year-old became the youngest qualifier to reach Wimbledon's main draw. When she hit the practice courts at the All England Club, Gauff had no idea the next week would change her life.
3. The youngster was drawn to face one of her heroes, Venus Williams, to begin her Wimbledon campaign. "I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for [the Williams sisters]," Gauff said.
4. Coco didn't just play with Venus—she defeated the five-time Wimbledon champion, 6-4, 6-4.
5. In her second match, Gauff faced world No. 174 Magdalena Rybarikova. Gauff posted a 6-3, 6-3 victory. In the span of a few days, everyone on the grounds—and around the world—knew her face and name.
6. It looked like the young American's run was over in the third round, but she had a surprise for the Centre Court crowd, saving two match points before defeating Polona Hercog, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-5. She would lose her fourth-rounder to Simona Halep, but her run was an unqualified success.
7. In Washington, D.C., the former No. 1 junior made her way through qualifying once again, knocking off Meagan Manasse and Hiroko Kuwata to enter the main draw of the Citi Open.
8. Although Coco fell in her D.C. singles opener, she wasn't quite finished. Gauff and doubles partner McNally would claim their first WTA tour doubles title together after dismissing Maria Sanchez and Fanny Stollar in the final.
9. Before making her US Open main-draw debut, as a wild card, Gauff appeared with sports legends Venus, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal at the 2019 Palace Invitational. The teen partnered with Nadal to face the Williams sisters in a badminton game.
10. "Call Me Coco" was a phrase we heard over and over before and during this year's US Open.
11. Dropping the first three games, of her first match at Flushing Meadows, it seemed as if Gauff was battling nerves from being on one of the biggest stages in tennis. But she was able to relax and fight her way back to defeat Anastasia Potapova in three sets.
12. The teenage phenom has personified the quote, "it's not over until it's over." Gauff would capture another three-set thriller against world No. 103 Timea Babos to set up a third-round clash with defending champion Naomi Osaka.
13. Who can forget this moment? Gauff, who suffered a convincing defeat at the hands of the two-time Grand Slam champion, was in tears and getting ready to exit the court—when Osaka stepped in to comfort the rising star.
14. In Linz, Gauff began the main draw as a lucky loser. By the tournament's end, she was its champion. On her way to winning her first WTA title, she also claimed her first Top 10 win, against Kiki Bertens in the quarterfinals.
15. Just last week in Luxembourg, Gauff and McNally, dubbed "McCoco," paired up once again and captured their second WTA doubles title. The duo lost only one set and topped three seeded teams in their title pursuit.