--- title: "Coco Gauff defeats Zeynep Sönmez in first round at Arthur Ashe Stadium, US Open 2026; signals metamorphosis after year of changes" sdDatePublished: "2026-09-02T14:25:00Z" source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/us-open-2026-coco-gauff-serves-up-treat-first-round-win" topics: - name: "tennis" identifier: "medtop:20001085" locations: - "West Palm Beach" - "United States" - "Spain" - "Turkey" - "Australia" - "Japan" --- Coco Gauff defeats Zeynep Sönmez in first round at Arthur Ashe Stadium, US Open 2026; signals metamorphosis after year of changes US Open 2026: Coco Gauff showcases total metamorphosis in first-round win US Open 2026: Coco Gauff showcases total metamorphosis in first-round win The two-time Grand Slam champion showcased the difference a year can make with a sensational straight-sets victory over Türkiye’s Zeynep Sönmez on Tuesday, 1 September. One year ago, U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff stood a broken woman at Flushing Meadows. Hitting practice serves in the rain with service wizard (coach) Gavin MacMillan , who she’d shockingly added to her team just days before the 2025 US Open, it seemed as though this star was close fizzling out aged 21. But just as things got tough, she gritted her way through to the fourth round. While a loss to Japan’s Naomi Osaka ended that courageous showing before any sort of storytale ending, Gauff had proven she had more to give. In many ways, she was like caterpillar waiting to be reborn into one of nature's most beautiful creatures. Her serve was unwieldy, her confidence was lacking and her technique – while effective – felt unrefined. “I was making a big change before probably the most important tournament of my season, and there was a lot of pressure,” Gauff reflected at a press conference on Friday (28 August). “But I'm really glad that I made the decision.” Progressing positively through the spring following those changes, she saw renewed success on the court, but failed to earn a breakthrough win and signal a return to excellence. The quarter-final losses, semi-final losses and finals heartbreaks were adding up. “I feel like I ride and die on my results, just because [of] how competitive and perfectionist I am,” she explained. “I find that every time I have done well at a tournament is when I have taken a step back and just focus on the joy of it all.” Claiming the Cincinnati Open title mere weeks before the 2026 US Open – as she had done before winning first-career Grand Slam in 2023 – Gauff had finally emerged from a cocoon built of pressure, self-doubt and service struggles. Taking to the court against Türkiye’s Zeynep Sönmez at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tueaday (1 September), she finally spread her wings and began anew. US Open 2026: Full competition schedule, daily order of play and live results from the tennis Grand Slam “I had to remind myself of the basics,” she said during the press conference on Friday. “When I do that, the joy is there and the pressure… pressure will always be there, but it's not as much.” She proved her point during her first round tussle with Sönmez, with the World No. 4 producing more aces (five) than double faults (three) and showcasing her growth as a player from one year to the next, dismissing the Turkish challenger in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. “I wasn’t that nervous today, which was a shock,” she admitted during an on-court interview after the match. “When I walked out on the court, I was trying to hold back a smile.” With her service woes seemingly vanquished, Gauff breezed through the match in only 80 minutes of play. Sönmez held tough at the net, but only squeezed one break out of Gauff. In turn, the North American superstar stole three games in front of the home crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Asked by the on-court interviewer how she dealt with Sönmez's attacking playstyle in the late stages of the match, Gauff responded, “I think I was just trying not to panic. She started coming to the net and playing great tennis and I know that I can raise my level if I need to. “I like to challenge my opponent,” she added. “To let them keep up the level the whole match. And if they do, I clap my hands and I walk off court with my head held high.” It was that response, more so than the improved performance at the service line, that signaled a true metamorphosis within the the 22-year-old Delray Beach, Florida, at Flushing Meadows. Moving on the second round, she'll face the winner of Spain's Paula Badosa and Australia's Daria Kasatkina . Tennis - W. ROUND 3 - Coco Gauff USA | Paris Highlights 2024 Team USA Coco Gauff is defeated in straight sets to Donna Vekic. 24 August - 13 September Tennis | US Open | New York | United States