Gauff launches bid for second US Open title with win over Sonmez

Coco Gauff secured her place in the race for a second US Open title by defeating Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-4. The fourth seed, a champion from 2023, reported feeling nervous in the tunnel but attributed her performance to a surge of confidence she felt during the match. She expressed uncertainty about what specifically eased her nerves, hinting that perhaps her growing confidence and the fact that Sonmez would need to play at a high level for Gauff to lose contributed to her success.

Sonmez, however, did manage to keep the pressure on, which prompted Gauff to celebrate her escape from the second set. In the women's singles draw, Elena Rybakina, the second seed, also advanced through a victory over 17-year-old American wild card Thea Frodin 6-3, 6-2. Frodin, who has not met Rybakina before, expressed excitement about potentially meeting her in the future and mentioned that Will Smith reposted one of her posts on social media.

In the men's draw, Flavio Cobolli of Switzerland battled Argentinian Francisco Comesana over five sets, while ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz of the United States edged out fellow American Darwin Blanch in straight sets. French tennis star Gael Monfils marked his 40th birthday with a win over Adolfo Alvarez, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0.