Coco Gauff singles out fellow WTA star as friendship blossoms away from the court

Eva Lys is forming a coveted reputation as one of the most popular players on the WTA Tour. She has created numerous friendships with many of the sports biggest talents, and that includes Coco Gauff who had glowing praise for the German.

When competing, it can be very lonely at times. All the travelling and sitting in hotels can become a tedious process for these players as they traverse the globe competing in the biggest tennis tournaments on offer.

Away from the action, there are a lot of friendships and bonds in the sport in which players capitalise on, switching off their on-court rivalries as they enjoy each others company in a more relaxed manner.

In the midst of many of these friendships is Lys who is quickly becoming one of the more recognisable players on the WTA Tour, and up there with the most popular among the players. While her tennis career has stalled in recent times following a stunning breakthrough last year, she continues to receive high praise by her fellow tennis talents away from the action.

One of which is two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff whose face lit-up when this specific topic cropped up in an interview with sporteuropetv.

The American was put on the spot when asked who was the best dancer between the two of them. "I definitely think Eva would agree that I'm the better dancer," she joked before going on to discuss their positive relationship and chemistry away from the spotlight.

"But no, Eva is such a sweet girl," Gauff said. "And, you know, she is the one who kind of stepped forward to start the friendship. She invited me to a concert and, you know, ever since then, we kind of clicked."

The pair have since hung out on numerous occasions and even made TikTok videos together, showing their close bond and flourishing chemistry. "It's really nice to have someone on tour," she continued. "I don't have a lot of tour friends that I actually go out with. Maybe people we're friendly with in the locker room and stuff, but she's definitely one of them. And I think she's such a cool girl, and I'm glad that she was able to get the win today. And, yeah, she deserves everything that comes her way."

The duo will forget about their off the court bond for the time being with bigger matters on their mind as they continue their US Open campaigns with different motives.

One of the title contenders, Gauff is in brilliant form and will be hopeful of challenging and possibly winning a second title at Flushing Meadows. The 22-year-old has come into this tournament after semi-final runs at Wimbledon and the Canadian Open before triumphing at the Cincinnati Open against fellow American Jessica Pegula in the final.

Her US Open started on the front foot, picking up a commendable 6-3, 6-4 win over Zeynep Sonmez with former World No.2 Paula Badosa her next challenge. The Spaniard defeated Gauff a few months ago on grass, and while this is a different scene altogether, Gauff will need to be careful not to slip-up in this early stage.

As for Lys, her 2026 campaign has been one of disappointments and injury setbacks. While representing Germany at the United Cup, things to be going from strength to strength as she continued her rise in the sport. She certainly caught a lot of attention at the China Open where a quarter-final run propelled her up the order.

Nevertheless, for one reason or another her rise up the rankings has been stifled by constant injury problems and a lack of consistency. Just three win at Grand Slam and Masters 1000 is not a great return. The most recent of which came in New York a couple of days ago as she saw off qualifier Gabriela Knutson 6-3, 6-3. She will need to produce something magical against Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva if she is to reach the third round of the US Open for the very first time. Both contests will be played today as the second round comes to a sudden halt.