Coco Gauff is coming to prime time.
But the 15-year-old tennis sensation will play her first US Open night match on Thursday in Louis Armstrong Stadium, not Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Gauff will play her second-round match against qualifier Timea Babos in the same stadium where she came back from one set down Tuesday evening to beat Anastasia Potapova.
“I think it’s good for her to play on Armstrong, to be honest, ” ESPN’s Rennae Stubbs told me. “ Armstrong’s an incredible court, I think it’s perfect for her. It’s the perfect size for her. The public can go into that court. You don’t need a ticket to get into that court which is great. So anybody out there who wants to watch Coco Gauff play, they can go and watch her, which is amazing. The seats in there are incredible, whereas if you’re up in the upper nosebleeds of Arthur Ashe, it’s tough.”
Gauff is playing her first US Open main draw after reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon, where she upset Venus Williams in the first round before losing to eventual champ Simona Halep in the fourth. She’s assured of making at least $100,000 for reaching the second round, and would pocket $163,000 if she wins Thursday.
If she does, she could face world No. 1 and defending US Open champ Naomi Osaka. That would be the featured match on Ashe on Saturday — but could be during the day or night.
“Of course, that’s a no brainer,” Stubbs said of the match likely being on Ashe. “Defending champion against Coco.”
The Gauff story has transcended sports to mainstream news, and also caught the attention of the biggest names at the US Open.
“She’s tall and she has a lot of power,” 18-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal said. “I think she has a great intensity playing. Let’s see. Of course, looks like she has an amazing future in front. I really wish her all the very best.Is tough to put lot of pressure on her now or talk too much about her now. Even if she’s doing amazing things, she is very young.
“In my opinion, she needs to internalize the things step by step. If not, is easy to lose a little bit the perspective. I really hope that she has the right people around, and she will become a big star of this sport for sure.”
The way Gauff played Tuesday on Armstrong, Stubbs thinks she has a good shot to advance and play Osaka.
“Coco has got a great head on her shoulders,” she said. “She has a beyond-her-years maturity. She has incredible composure. She had the experience of being incredibly nervous when she came out there against a player who was firing balls all over the place. She’s also a very good player, so I think having the experience she had the other day, knowing what to expect now, there’s no question in my that she has the maturity and the experience and the game to move through another match for sure.”
And if she wins, expect to see her on Ashe on Saturday in some Must-See TV.
“When the time comes to go out to Arthur Ashe,” Stubbs said, “she’ll be ready for it.”
