US Open 2025: Coco Gauff shows off her resilience with second round victory over Donna Vekic

Coco Gauff displayed the mindset of a two-time Grand Slam singles tennis champion on Thursday (28 August), dismissing Croatia’s Donna Vekic – silver medallist in the women’s singles event at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 – in straight sets 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, all while battling against her own self-doubt on centre court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 21-year-old American tennis star wore her emotions on her sleeve during the challenging second round match at the 2025 US Open, which produced lengthy highlight-worthy rallies, even as both players struggled with diminishing service confidence.

In the end, however, Gauff emerged victorious, winning four-consecutive games to seal an emotional win at Flushing Meadows,

“Honestly, today was a tough match for me, but I’m just happy with how I was able to manage,” Gauff stated during an on-court interview.

“It’s been a rough couple of weeks, but I’m just happy to be back on this court, and you guys bring me so much joy,” she added, acknowledging the fervent support of the partisan crowd, before breaking into tears.

“You guys really, really help me a lot. I’m doing this for myself, but I’m also doing it for you,” she clarified, serving up some advice of her own: “No matter how tough it gets inside; you can do it.”

Whether she meant it as inspiration for the crowd, or targeted self-affirmation for her own dinged-up psyche, Gauff will look to live up to those words as she progresses towards the second week of singles action at the 2025 US Open.

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