Coco Gauff
was a prominent figure in the activities with children ahead of the Mubadala
Citi
DC Open.
The
19-year-old tennis star is one of the biggest attractions for this edition of
the WTA 500 Washington, which will take place from July 31. Gauff is considered
one of the top local hopes as the US Open Series begins.
The Citi
Open has been upgraded from a WTA 250 to a WTA 500 event starting this year,
offering more ranking points, improved prize money, and attracting a greater
number of stars.
Gauff will
be the third seed in a draw that includes 9 female tennis players from the
top-20, featuring players like Jessica Pegula, Caroline Garcia, Maria Sakkari,
Belinda Bencic, and Victoria Azarenka, among several others who are preparing
for the upcoming WTA 1000 tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati, as well as the
final Grand Slam of the year.
During the
pre-tournament activities, Coco Gauff enthusiastically participated and became
one of the main attractions for the children of the city. The young tennis fans
had the opportunity to take photos with and hug the World No. 7, and Gauff
warmly interacted with the kids, creating a special moment for them.
Gauff will
have a bye in the first round due to her third seed status and will await the
winner of former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova or a player coming from the
qualifying rounds in the second round.
This will
be Gauff's second appearance in the tournament, as she played in 2019 and
successfully advanced through the qualifiers but was eliminated in the first
round by Zarina Diyas. However, in doubles, she had a remarkable performance,
winning the championship alongside Caty McNally. It marked the first
professional title for the McCoco duo.
As a local
player, the American will aim to improve her results from the grass court
season, where she reached the second round at the Grass Court Championships
Berlin, made it to the semifinals of the Eastbourne Open, but experienced a
disappointing first-round defeat at Wimbledon at the hands of her compatriot
Sofia Kenin