Coco Gauff credits Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘SMILE’ for inspiring her on how to fight opponents like Swiatek and Sabalenka despite being considered as the ‘underdog’

Coco Gauff defeated Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets in Round 2 of the US Open.

Coco Gauff credits Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘SMILE’ for inspiring her on how to fight opponents like Swiatek and Sabalenka despite being considered as the ‘underdog’

Carlos Alcaraz (Source: Eurosport, NY Post)

Coco Gauff beat Russian youngster Mirra Andreeva in the second round of the US Open 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets. She did not struggle at all in the match and was in the driver’s seat for the entirety of it. With this, she has reached the Round 3 of the tournament with ease. 

After her match against Mirra Andreeva, Coco Gauff gave a shoutout to the current Men’s World No. 1 player, Carlos Alcaraz who, according to her, taught her how to smile in tough moments like facing top opponents like Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. 

“The thing I’ve learned the most is how they’re able to handle the situations when they’re not playing their best tennis. For instance, Carlos in Cincinnati, he was losing a set every match pretty much and he wasn’t playing his best, that was clear. I don’t know. The way that he was still smiling, for me, against Hubi Hurkacz and he was down a set and a break or something like that, I don’t know, he was down crazy or down match points. He was still smiling.” Coco said. 

Coco Gauff said that if Carlos Alcaraz can smile at being the World No. 1 with all the pressure that he has in the world, then she can learn that from him as well at times when she is facing opponents like Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka when she is the underdog and can manage to play her matches with a smile on her face. That would also help her stay calm in stressful situations. 

Read More: Carlos Alcaraz is the only one pushing Novak Djokovic to his limits observes Justine Henin praising the duo for the ‘best’ rivalry on the Tour

Coco Gauff faces Elise Mertens in Round 3 of the US Open

Coco Gauff

Having defeated Mirra Andreeva pretty easily today, Coco Gauff will now face Belgian tennis player Elise Mertens in Round 3 of the ongoing tournament. Elise Mertens became the World No.1 doubles player back in May 2021.

She has not had a major achievement in singles events in the past few years thus it is expected to be an easy win for Coco Gauff. 

Coco, who has been in phenomenal form throughout the ongoing season, is without a doubt, one of the favorites to win the trophy this year. She recently beat World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the Cincinnati Open semi-final for the first time in her career and went on to win the competition eventually. 

In case you missed it: