Coco Gauff benefits from Jessica Pegula loss after | Sports News

Coco Gauff has been handed more time as U.S. tennis’ high girls’s singles star after Jessica Pegula missed an alternative to knock the 21-year-old off the highest spot on the Miami Open. Gauff’s fourth-round exit within the Sunshine State event froze her on 6,063 WTA factors, which Pegula would have eclipsed had she toppled world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka within the Final.

While Pegula’s defeat has left Gauff with some respiration room to seek out her groove, the 31-year-old is scorching on her heels and will declare the No. 3 spot someday this 12 months. Pegula is simply 267 factors off No. 3 Gauff. Pegula may declare that spot this week, competing on the Charleston Open, with the champion profitable 500 factors. Pegula making the Final may even be enough, with the runner-up receiving 325 factors.

Pegula hasn’t been as profitable on clay courts, with the Charleston Open the subsequent event to check her resolve on the floor. Nonetheless, Pegula will head into it because the No. 1 seed within the competitors. “I know I’m known more for being a hard-court player,” she stated. “But I think I can do well on the clay too. So hopefully, with some of those intangibles that I have added to my game, that can help me have a good clay season.”

As for Gauff, her struggles since profitable the 2023 U.S. Open continued in Miami. Gauff has struggled along with her serve and forehand. Nonetheless, Gauff insists that she has unfinished business forward of May’s French Open.

“I think just accepting the highs and lows. I think sometimes in sports you want to just stay on the high and kind of ride that wave, but especially with this sport, a season as long as tennis, it’s impossible to always be on that high wave, and there’s going to be some low moments, I think,” she told the Roland-Garros web site.

“Just trying to stick through those tough moments and get better through them. Not feeling like the rest of the season is going to go that way.

“I feel like I’m able to turn it around. It’s happened before. I think it just takes one match or two matches to kind of get that confidence back.”

Gauff would not appear too fussed about Pegula doubtlessly leapfrogging her within the WTA rankings, both. “Honestly, it never meant anything to me. I just feel like all the people say it online. And for me, it really means absolutely nothing. I don’t like to look at it. I don’t care,” she admitted on the U.S. No. 1 rating.

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“The reason it means nothing is because of the goal, obviously, is to be number one, period. But obviously, I am lucky to be surrounded by such great competition for my country.

“And all of us are friendly with each other and we root for each other. And I was just happy to see, Madison win and then seeing Amanda win – two people who I think rightfully and strongly deserve those titles.”