World No. 4 Coco Gauff started her 2026 US Open campaign with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Zeynep Sonmez on Tuesday in a match that lasted one hour and 20 minutes. Gauff has now won 81 Grand Slam matches since 2020 and moves into the second round. While Gauff thrilled the audience on court, her post-match interview was also entertaining when she was asked a fun family question.
Coco Gauff Ranks Her Family’s Athleticism After US Open 1R Win
After her first-round win, the American faced a different kind of challenge: ranking the athletes in her own family. When reporters asked Gauff to rank the athletes in her family, she knew she could get into trouble.
“I’m gonna get in trouble,” Gauff said with a laugh. “I guess number one, I got to go with Cameron. Number two, I’m gonna go with Codey.”
Gauff then had to choose between her parents.
“This is where I get in trouble between my mom and dad. I’m going to go mom – three,” she explained. “Because I think I’m more scared of my mom now than my dad. So, I’m going to go with her. But if you asked me like ten years ago, I would have said dad first.”
However, the two-time Grand Slam winner puts herself at the top. Before reporters could accept her brothers taking the top spots, she quickly added:
“Wait, wait, wait, I’m number one, okay?” Gauff said. “Just so we agree.”
Coco Gauff shares the Gauff family athleticism power rankings 😅 pic.twitter.com/qlQxnEcKem
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2026
Gauff comes from a strong sporting family. Her father, Corey, played basketball at Georgia State, while her mother, Candi, competed in track and field at Florida State. Coco has two younger brothers, 18-year-old Codey, who plays baseball, and 13-year-old Cameron, who plays tennis, basketball, and football. The family moved from Atlanta to Delray Beach, Florida, to support Coco’s tennis career, and her father was her first coach.
Gauff arrived in New York fresh off a strong run in Cincinnati, where she defeated World No. 3 Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 in the final on August 23. She has also made several deep runs this year, although she fell short in two finals in Miami and Rome.
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However, the 22-year-old is chasing more than another major trophy in New York. The 2023 champion is aiming to win her third Grand Slam title. A deep run could also help her reach another major milestone by becoming world No. 1 for the first time.
In the second round, she will face either Paula Badosa or Daria Kasatkina.
