Varvara Gracheva vs. Coco Gauff Full Match | 2024 US Open Round 1

[Music] New York please welcome the players for today's next first round match from France varvara Greta [Music] [Music] and from the United States 2023 US Open Champion Coco gol [Applause] [Music] [Music] fans the chire for this first round match is Maria chikchak of Croatia we have drew for co uh ladies at the end of a quainos please stay here with Drew for photo this way and the other way all right uh just a couple of things to tell you four surf blocks in each quarter uh then we had Tower RX white one red one uh a little bit about the technology we're using we're using VR here you have three successful challenges you can challenge uh touches nups uh hindrance uh F shots that's about it if I if I forgot something we can check with it later right another thing is uh electronic align calling is live system calls online you can always ask for replay all right and that's about it I think if you need anything something's wrong we go through it all right um head tailes all your sir yeah photo please [Applause] hello and a very warm welcome to the 2024 US Open day one of our main draw coverage of course from the Bly King national tennis center in New York we have first Dr action from the women's draw down in the bottom half today that's our focus on day one bottom half of the women's draw bottom half of the men's drawer as well this is what we're looking at and looking forward to over the next couple of hours kokoa the number three seed and defending champion of course in this section of the draw going up against bavara graa from France he good all alongside Jill cras in the commentary Booth we've got Andrea Pekovic Courtside for our second match of the day on this main show Court of Flushing Meadows and we're good to go it's a beautiful day in this part of the world a small small risk of a a an occasional popup shower or storm I understand over the next 2 or 3 days but it's it's a warm one 29° C 84 fenit there's not too much of a breeze certainly not inside this incredible Stadium down on the plague surface it is humid today so it's uh it's going to be testing if this gets physical maybe over two or 3 hours or so first up a war welcome Phil great to see you again and it's always great to see you Le to be here exciting first day exciting first match for for Coco goof and and how are you seeing this one generally is this a potentially difficult first match for her I I do think it can be tricky for a number of reasons I think Raa I mean just 24 years of age but she's had some top 10 wins in her career and so she gets up for these matches just coming off one of her best Grand Slams at Roland garas where she got to the round of 16 so she's been feeling a little bit more conf confident on the big stage um having said that you know Coco obv viously she's the favorite in this matchup they've played one one other time and that was earlier in January where KOCO won pretty significantly but there's a lot more involved here I mean coko is coming in as defending Champion there's definitely going to be some nerves in play um and so just to have that on her shoulders to be able to deal with all that and knowing all eyes are on her to see how she can perform defending defending her title I think is going to maybe put a little bit more pressure on her shoulders so but Geva having on this big stage now against in Arthur Ash Stadium but these are the type of matches where you do like to play the big seeds earlier on because it's a it's a chance to try and you know get that first win under your bout if you can yeah normally it's a good time well probably the best time to play them before they get into their stride and start to build confidence 20 years of age of course I could not believe reading uh the notes and going through the research last 24 hours or so that this is Coco sixth appearance in the main draw it's unreal unbelievable 15 years old she she started so yeah we feel like it should be only her like second appearance or something like that but it's it's it's crazy how but how she's been able to deal with that all of that at such a young age has been remarkable hasn't been the best summer has it I think we've got to be honest about that we we obviously judge these kinds of players so harshly I suppose at times we're looking at them in terms of producing the best tennis in the world going deep at the biggest events hasn't been able to do that it was a disappointing Olympic games for for Coco having been a flag bearer of course for the US big deal but she does have the head-to-head advantage and they did play this year back in Oakland one of the first weeks of the season in the quarterfinals it was comfortable that day one and one but I think the feeling is asking around amongst coaches broadcasters colleagues that that this will be a lot closer it's going to be fascinating battle once we get underway lady in charge of proceedings match two inside our thrash Stadium inter to see how the CR play A Part as well today what this place will fill up once they realize Coco is on Court and that could help a second down perhaps yeah of course Ben Shelton just coming away with the win against Dominic team so a lot of times the fans just have a little bit of a break before they start piling back into the day and there's look at CoCo golf team just trying to shal himself from the Sun Brad Gilbert on the left there with the tan bucket hat he's been in CLE Go's corner and her mom just behind bride with the hat that says Coco um and that's candy goof so consistently in the box of course supporting her daughter but you you brought up last year too it's interesting because of the rise that gol had especially last summer winning DC winning Cincinnati two of her biggest events on the calendar year so had a lot to deal with we are good to go second match of our opening day session inside the alash stadium fora from France up against last year's Champion Coco goof about to get her title defense on the way here in New York to get us underway [Applause] of course the spotlight on kokov but a huge test for this lady today as well playing inside our thrash Stadium this is a beast of a tennis Stadium biggest purpose built tennis stadium in the world 24,000 seats or so so we'll be we'll be watching to see how easily she settles into this environment if indeed it is easy can't imagine how it can be playing playing on this stage definitely different I mean just like you mentioned the biggest Court in the biggest stage as far as the stadium seating it and can feel overwhelming but the space around the court too can just make everything seem that much larger [Music] so a comfortable hold for the French woman that will help settle her down we're going to try and check in with Andrea pekov we'll be with you on a regular basis get some of your Insight and the sort of things you're picking up from court side I believe you just two or three rows from from the front just quickly Andrea are you seeing this as a a test for Coco today I think the important thing for graa in particular just to help settle those nerves is she's got to trust her movement off the ground because Koko is the type that is going to try and take the ball early going to try and rush creva but crea's a good mover she can handle that pace and I think also to try an attack the second serve of golf and in particular and I think if you do that very early on in the match that can put some pressure on that golf second serve so perhaps already an early test for kokov two of the areas will be keeping a close eye on the serve and the forand that's often to the talking points certainly this summer goo's been able unable to reproduce the sort of consistency and form that she was enjoying earlier in the season here is the first opportunity cha strategy right now on these last few points on the golf serve is to try and utilize that deep down the center of the Court Ball but it's got to be deep as golf is so quick to get around the ball that's good power off the ground from graa saves the first break point great first St up to the ball from gof nice to see graa trying to throw in in little variety there just to catch goof off guard but GF is so quick that first step off the ground was very responsive that's good defense be part of the plan today W it try try and test Coco off the ground try and tease out unforced erors and to make a fast start as well maybe try and avoid the crowd getting involved early [Applause] guess one thing isn't there having huge crowd support but sometimes you need to make a good start to get the crowd involved or give them something to feed off if she were to lose serve early then I think everybody starts to get a bit edgy also that response just backing herself shows me she's backing herself on the serve and that's one thing I like that she's Incorporated with the serve it's not always been about power all the time she's using the slice serve a little bit more that time took some Pace off that wide serve there we go again looking to be aggressive yes whenever she get to look at for a second serve I wasn't a on that second serve 74 mph and just one step that she needed to be able to attack that forehand nice shape off of that return what the one that I feel like she can struggle with it is that chip off Pace where she has to generate her own acceleration her own pace on the forehand so another test for the world number three picked at world number two recently just dropped down to three it's BR Gilbert it hurts to are first singles major this time last year yes well she's finding the big serves to the right moment in this game it's got to be one positive maybe not quite a regular enough basis so far just six of 12 first serves made Turing into a lengthy Opening Service game for the the American oh pretty short but got way that one got a little bit more kick bounced up slightly higher on graa [Applause] well that will help point it if there are nerves there are bound to be a professional tennis player or former professional will always talk about the difficulty of an opening match never mind being defending Champion Jo and just getting on the board that's it's a good feeling to to be able to hold in that first game it was it was a tough one she had a couple challenges but came up big on the Serb when she needed to G players take your seats quickly please thank you we have controlled fan movements introduced in the US Open for the first time this year [Applause] oh well done took two or three attempts that got there in the end def getting very excited go thinking she had already won the point on this approach shot or on this volley actually but it was good defense from graa just being able to anticipate forcing gof to hit two or three extra balls she got back well for that overhead I love it [Applause] did you get a sense of a bit of tension Coco side of the court in The Opening Service game Andrea so I felt like her adjustment steps so the steps you need to put yourself in a perfect positions were just a half step off as if she was not as Dynamic whereas graa was great from the start on I feel like graa settled really [Applause] impressively and immediately she serves a double fault the commentator's curse strikes again so here we go couple of chances for Coco now this will be the first to break in this match and there is the break a fortnite after [Applause] a successful fan week here C's core position has changed slightly as well in the last few points just willing to stay up on that Baseline a little bit more and that's where she wants to be that's where she's going to be able to dictate these points better [Music] [Music] reason I think it's fair to say there's a there's a lot of intrigue as to exactly how Coco will play today is because it's been it's been an inconsistent summer very good Roland garos made semis there and won her first Grand Slam doubles title on the Paris clay alongside C akova fourth round Wimbledon lost to Emma Navaro fellow American in the the round of 16 it wasn't the best Paris Olympics to be honest third round of the singles lost pretty early in the mixed and the doubles as well fact lost those three matches within 48 hours or so that of course was held at roling Garis as well on clay and then lost a second match in Toronto to Diana Schneider in straight sets and poent of a beat in ciny that was a first match so it's it's a it's been a rough part of her year isn't it all players go through it there are ups and downs through the season but this is a rougher part yeah yeah it hasn't been the best preparation let's say I I think we have to remember to everything she's accomplished in the last year I mean she's played so many matches and even you can say I mean she's still so young but has actually quite a bit of experience for someone so young but still learning probably to figure out how to balance how many tournaments to play how many matches to play when to take some breaks when to when to recover that was an excellent return buta was so far up inside the court and just didn't do enough with that approach shot just rolled it back in and you can't do that against someone like off who's so quick who's able to defend so well just got it deep enough to make it a difficult overhead let's C [Applause] let see how much G favors that backhand side any middle ball she's trying to run around to take control from that side I mean you can't blame her it's one of it's the best shots on the tour it's world class and just feel so confident being able to especially hit that inside out backand second double fault brings up another opportunity to break this is where Goa I feel like if she gets a second serve she's really got to take that risk go and go after after her shot really try and put Goff on the defense yeah that makes a difference when she gets that first ball in first of percentage still in the mid- 40s so far so too low really but she'll be hoping that number improves another tricky service game for the third seed [Applause] going behind gof your natural instinct is to cover the open court so always a good play to try and catch your opponent off guard another chance to break just going to take one of these eventually you would imagine one slips by smart from Koko here to continuously go into the forehand side on those break points from graa who also struggles more on that side just as Coco goof allers going into the for hand that's a good point Andrea because even if your opponent knows that you're going there you can still have that slight Advantage if your opponent can't connect cleanly with the ball another good out wide serve to the forehand from golf first percentage a little low but four aces is a decent number already point for 3-1 [Music] here comes through another tough game on surf help to build the confidence th Stadium today just to reminded to download the US Open app to follow your favorite players track scores stats we've got all the match highlights on there get player news and uh new this year Watching live 3D views of all the singles matches that's available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store 14 days of main draw tennis to look forward to on the back of a hugely successful fan week which began a week ago today that's good stuff excellent play just tactically waiting for the right moment to change that crosscourt rally down the line and graa doing it with a slice just changing the Rhythm forcing gof to have to hit up on the ball and on that very next shot that's where she was able to attack just had a little extra time just rush that one slightly off as G cha looking down there Andrea she looks she looks pretty subtle to us up here she does she really does she got a bit nervous and had a few words with her team after she got broken but ever since then again very levelheaded she seems to be doing her thing she seems to have her tactics in place and is trying the best she can to put them to the test here against Coco go got a break through Roland Garis representing France for the first time in fact in Paris this year trer is 24 years of age was Moscow born but relocated to the south of France training down in can believe at the facility where Daniel medv used to be based took French nationality this time last year so he been playing under the French flag for just over 12 months or so really special rolling gas for her making the second week at a major for the first time in Paris and playing rolling gas for the first time under the French flag as well so everything fell into place she had so so many Smiles on her face really enjoyed that moment it said it meant so much to her to to have that moment to feel those emotions makes sure she comes through that service game she's K off with the break 3-2 first set just notic the the match time Andrea 28 minutes for five games that's pretty lengthy isn't it and and probably demonstrates that even though Coco's a break up it hasn't been easy so far [Applause] 15 15 13 the stadium is so we've been trying to pick you out Andrea we think we've got you just behind the Umpire chair I found I found you early I see yes can see you w there we go that's a good spot just overcoming now most of these double faults that G's been hitting she's been missing pretty long and that time just trying to take some Pace off trying to guide the ball in the court there's the team trying to send some positive vibes away another break points yes she be pleased at least with the success rate when she's been facing break points so far six out of six she said excent on that stretch back hand from go Advantage go wasn't a bad shot from graa had some more height on it but go did well to Accel cerate through that backand to be able to set up that short B there a percentage still hovering just above the 50 mark [Applause] [Music] off up to come to another tricky game on serve she done well to not affect the rest of her game golf sometimes you see players that are maybe struggling on their serve and and can it affect how they move off the ground they tend to get pretty sometimes reactive but with how fast go is around the court she's not letting the fact that maybe she's not serving her best let her worry about the rest of her game she's taking care of business off the ground pretty well [Applause] yeah it's well done it's good D Love 15 I don't mind that point from graa just trying to come forward into the net force goof to to come with a great shot it's the perfect shot to hit that lob over the backhand side very difficult one to handle that will feed the confidence uses her left arm well here to be able to strike through that ball to to create the angle that's what really helps you get that ball crosscourt 15 struggling to get that first balling in his seventh game trying to overpower so solid with that pace coming into her racket [Applause] couple more chances for the American 1 14 it's been a significant number so far the Miss chances that gavas had six of them un converted the overhead just long it is another break of serve hasn't been easy for Coco go but she'll be delighted with the 52 lead go leads five games to do 37 minutes in we've got a new set of balls gol serving for this opening set 5-2 good start to the game SE new balls to maybe a good time to to mention for those who like their finer details got a lot of serious tennis fans watching watching the coverage over the next couple of weeks it's the regular Duty ball for the women this year York it is yes which makes the ball go through the air a little bit faster some players like that some players um prefer a little bit heavier balls coko to me is someone that that would like that I think she she get especially on the back can she gets great acceleration that's the thing with the lighter balls you have to make sure you keep going through the ball with that fast acceleration that's what's going to help that ball come back down into the court it tends to help on the serve in particular cuz that ball is just off the court as well going to Skid through off the bounce it's a decision that's largely made by the WTA if you're wondering feedback comes from the tour and that's passed on to the US Open so it's it's actually a change used to a heavier ball this time last year in the ladyes draw surve that surf's been working so well for her on the ad side consistently be able to hit her targets down the te two set points 40 30 just need to keep an eye on that double fault that's five now against six Aces still a chance to wrap up this [Applause] opener nice way to do it Ace number seven wraps up the opening set time second [Music] set so we'll see how this second set unfolds V graa with plenty of work to do trading by a set she'll get this second set underway [Music] [Applause] I don't mind that point from graa just being willing to stay on the crosscourt a little bit longer to the golf forehand but she's got to be willing to be patient stay in it with wait for the right opportunity when she gets a shorter ball to step up and be aggressive it's difficult put you cuz you get the sense that graa knows she has to be more aggressive maybe than what she's comfortable with or what she's used to and and so she's creating some unforced errors but at the same time you just add a little bit more safety margin more more spin that's just too good goth able to spread the cord exceptionally well there already graa in trouble yeah perhaps early signs that goo is starting to settle three chances to break 15 14 first break point saved has to dier here here you feel 1 it's a couple defended one more chance for Coco all three saved that's great abs and that's what we saw from G in the beginning of the set where it was dead even is the use of that deep middle ball that was able to push gof off that Baseline fourage go opportunity to strike early fourth chance of the game there is another break of serve into trouble because on one hand you have to try and stay low on the other hand you have to get behind the ball it's tough that's a great point it's it's is tough to find that Rhythm sometimes when you have are playing against a player that has a different trajectory over the net different pace different spin as soon as you start to feel comfortable all of a sudden goof can throw in something different completely throw you off and then you add her speed there's a whole another element and and tough to feel like you have sense of any kind of opening in the court just down Courtside around 11:00 this morning watching these two warm up KOCO goof is a quite incredible athlete maybe something perhaps something that doesn't necessarily come across if you're watching her on on television it's difficult to get a sense of just what an incredible athletes is never mind you know how she's striking a tennis ball or all those other elements that are required to to be so good at this sport a serious physical presence on Cor do you get a sense of that down there Andre I think it's something something I always notice you know it's a treat isn't it to get so close to the action these these very best players in the world just how just what an incredible athlete she is yeah absolutely I agree with you 100% And it is my favorite position is the court side position game go and of course that goes for you know any athlete that's this level it's a different view of the sport down there isn't it it really is and uh what Jill just so rightly mentioned is that the different um the different difference of height above the net graa you can tell that she's feeling the ball well but all of her balls are the same they in this hit in the same Pace they're hit in the same trajectory above the net so I think KOCO go has gotten really nice Rhythm on her ground strokes now and I didn't mind the little slices that graa tried it a few times that's a slices and she also attempted a drop shot as well that okay in that instant didn't necessarily go in her favor but I think the point is just because maybe one point doesn't go your way doesn't mean you take that shot selection out of your toolbox you know just making sure it's the right moment to to maybe throw it in Surprise your opponent she did get a couple errors off the golf ground strokes when she did use that off Pace slice bled she's in danger of this starting to unravel for the French player this be good period for go last 20 25 minutes or [Music] [Applause] so team will be pleased and there is another break oneway [Applause] traffic great position Now set and three love finish line starting to come into view already just 52 minutes on the clock he left us during the sit down we were just discussing fa for the women's title this is in the we're in the bottom half today first of all so that's the half that features sanker as the number two seed Coco finds herself in the third quarter of the draw if you're reading the draw from the top to the bottom that's the number three seed so she in theory would be projected to play Bora Kika in the quarterfinals wimbl champion of course there's plenty of dangerous players to get past before start worried about the qu finals first seed he should play would be Spina in the third round she's in the same section as em far said incredible years she fellow American fantastic here beat Wimbledon incidentally of 16 he go Shan Tech is top seed as world number one of course in the top half Elena reaken are in that half as well as the the number four SE the two big players chess Pula in half as well as had a very good lead in to the US Open very well done finally got some depth on that forehand crossport just so she can cut off that last ball just a couple steps forward on this one right here all it takes sometimes is one extra step into the court just cuts down on the reaction time for your opponent straight back to her yeah she knows that that was the wrong choice the court was so open but the way she ran to this to get a for in it's danger because either way you leave the entire court open but she just again didn't have enough power on that that beforehand again all in all game match off quickly it would have been a good day at the office just another reminder to head to usopen.org that's the official website your online home for Point BYO life scoring all the highlights are on there the real time stats and draws of course so early in the tournaments it's the official tournament website usopen.org day one of 14 days of main draw action Flushing Meadows to look forward to final major of the season of course it's been busy busy summer baning from one major tournament to the next it doesn't feel too long ago since we were all watching the French Open unfold at raris in Paris goes way too fast on to Wimbledon the Olympic G games nice that was all about a COR position from gcha soon as she realized that golf just couldn't get settled with the footwork did a good job of just taking a couple steps inside the Baseline 30 50 it's actually the first point that graa has won on her second serve well there's the evidence of just walks an incredible athlete this young lady is so quick up to that short ball I think how she handled that though was a pretty good drop shot cuz it stayed relatively low over the net and Koko was actually moving in the wrong direction but look at how much acceleration gets through that ball and it had to have that because any slow and I think grao would have had to play on that great control from GF just so that's another opportunity for third seed to break and if she can this one would surely be done yes that's good change up going that kick down the tee Goff expecting that backand that's where most of CA second serves have been going on the clock heat of the day it's just gone 3:30 local time in the afternoon thankfully the entirety of this caught in shade now they struggled on serve [Applause] today she break for fifth time in the match [Music] the double fault hands over another break of serve and that should be job done for Coco go set and five love it's been perhaps a little bit surprising how one-sided this has been so far 625 love a go mind too much love it it's one of those days Jill just any kind of Victory after the the summer she's had and I don't want to dwell on that too much but it has been a very different kind of run in compared to the one she enjoyed this time last year any kind of win is good news I think anytime you can get through that first round I mean all the players across the board will say there's going to be nerves coming into another grand slam event that's always going to be there so it's not about avoiding them it's how you be able to embrace those nerves get through the first round and you mentioned golf coming into this event maybe maybe not having as many wins as she did last year winning DC and of course Cincinnati last year two biggest events in in her career before winning the US Open but she she's had more time now to be able to prepare coming into this FR landam just a lot a longer prce week as she's been able to have to adjust to these courts by the way it's looking like it's going to be Tatiana Maria from Germany who will await in round two she's in Factor match point in fact she's just finished the four so goes the German puts her place in the second round two and three today lights her to get her out of trouble that 113 miles an [Applause] hour tastes is to back to juice two points away Advantage from the body language there's still work to be done in her mind in terms of the overall level even despite the one-sided score line yes again yeah that's the only reproach graa will make herself after this match or her team will make herself that she hasn't closed that serf down on important points that's really cost her especially at the beginning of the match I wonder how different this might have been had she converted one of those great points early in the match she didn't go and here we are after 66 minutes that match point K goes through inside our thrash Stadium on day one at the open and it was comfortable in the end the Americans title defense is up and [Applause] running job done Jill preas she will be delighted to get just over that first hurdle in any way really today but to do it for the loss of just two games that's uh that's pretty impressive very impressive and it was it was a tricky start I felt like it was very close I know the score Line's too in love but those first four games were actually really tied and it was a big challenge for Goff in the beginning to be able to hold serve but from that moment on she really did break down geva's game graa just felt like as soon as she didn't get some of those break points she started making a few more unforced stairs maybe it got into the back of her mind that she wasn't able to convert or the way she handled those break points but you got to give credit to golf she did serve big in those moments use that down the t- serve I agree with Andrea she didn't take that serve away away from golf at all even if it's just moving your court position over there but golf will definitely be happy be very happy with the way that she was able to get through that first round and being able to play on ash that's that's big for us the defending Champion we will hear from the defending Champion see that well first of all congratulations Coco I know how much it must mean for you so talk about what it means to you to be back on this court as defending champion and through the first round which is never easy yeah it was definitely a lot of pressure this tournament but I'm just enjoying it and you know last year was incredible so I'm just bringing those vibes here whatever happens happens um and yeah if it's great and honored to be back here on aurash and playing in front of you guys take us through the very just the first couple of games that was a real arduous task for you to get through those how important is that and just explain to people how difficult it is first rounds maybe people think that you should win these types of matches but how difficult was the early part of this match um I mean if I played this last week I feel like it would have been really difficult but you know my perspective changed a lot over seven days so um today I was I wouldn't say I would be happy with what the result was but I was just trying to enjoy the match and um I enjoyed it today and obviously it was a little bit more of a straightforward match but um you know I feel like even if it was tighter I think these are the moments you live for so I'm just happy to be back here on this court and playing like I did I know the last few weeks have been a little bit tough but you know uh I know if I can you know play here I can play great tennis and today I think was the best tennis I played in a while so Coco you were here we've seen the photos of you on Arthur as kids day when you were like 5 six7 trying to get in the shot behind Venus Williams there are a lot of kids here today as well and I noticed that you said in your press conference earlier a couple just yesterday that you saw something on Tik Tok yes that actually made you think a different perspective coming in here so for all the JZ and the young ones what was told to you on Tik Tok oh so somebody commented on my Tik Tok and they were just like uh know if you you've won in life literally in figerly and if you're there's no point of uh feeling pressure on yourself on a Victory lap so I'm just treating this tournament like that if you defend something that means you won something and if you did it that means you can do it again so whether I do it again this year or not I'm going to I'm going to do it again whether it's 2024 not I will do it again all right so everybody on social she reads everything so be nice ladies and gentlemen through the second round Coco gol yes a warm reception for Coco we're not sure if you can still hear us Andrea but if you can what would your assessment of that performance [Music] [Music] [Music] be fantastic great to have you courau so thanks for all your input we'll let you get back into the the air conditioning it's it's probably pretty warm down there we will we will hear a lot more from through the uh through the tournament and we'll be seeing more of this young lady into the second round she will play Tatiana Maria from Germany a very a different opponent Maria she's the type of player that is going to bring a lot more variety to the court she has that bat nice bat hands SL she's going to use the drop shot a lot so very different for Koko to have to come in and get ready for and prepare for but yet definitely did a great job of just staying within herself staying focused in this match it was tight as we mentioned in the beginning but she she finished strong and she said she's pleased with the fact that this is the best match she's played in a little while so she'll take some confidence from that yeah that's a a strong message isn't it good to hear there's so much to to deal with in run into this tournament she's a big superstar in this in this part of the world all the uh the appointments and uh sponsor duties she has to take care of in the run up to the US Open so she'll be pleased with with how she's come through today that there there will be improvements that that need to be made if she's going to work her way