Tennis
US Open 2024 live updates: Day 2 latest with Swiatek on court, Sinner, Alcaraz in action today
The three Grand Slams this year to date have showcased the extremes of being a defending champion. Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek made use of their auras in Melbourne and Paris respectively to retain their titles, before
Marketa Vondrousova suffered the fate every defending champion dreads. The Czech lost in the first round of Wimbledon, and said afterward that the occasion had gotten to her. The pressure was too much.
It’s no easy task, managing the increased level of expectation and trying to defend 2,000 ranking points having never done so before. Especially at your home slam, and especially when you’re not in great form.
Enter Coco Gauff, and her title defense at this year’s U.S. Open. Gauff began her title defense on Monday, with a 6-2, 6-0 win over France’s Varvara Gracheva. Bigger tests await, but this was a reassuringly stress-free start. Read more below.
GO FURTHER
Defending a Grand Slam title is one of the hardest things in tennis. Coco Gauff faces it down
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