Coco Gauff is enjoying every moment of her last days as a teenager, as she will turn 20 next week.
The American phenom kicked off her Indian Wells with confirmation that she is assured of remaining as World No. 3 for the remainder of the month following Elena Rybakina's withdrawal from the tournament due to gastrointestinal issues.
But the 19-year-old had a tricky match to navigate. She needed three sets to beat the talented Frenchwoman Clara Burel, who earlier this year upset Jessica Pegula at the Australian Open.
Gauff had to dig herself out of a hole. She trailed 2-5 in the decider, seemingly with one foot out of the tournament. However, resilience was one of her strongest attributes, and she did not throw in the towel. Instead, she rallied and won a third-set tie-break.
After the match, Gauff was informed that this was a monumental 50th win in a WTA 1000 by a teenager since the category was incepted in 2009. She will be celebrating her 20th birthday on Wednesday, March 13th and was delighted in ticking off another record.
"Oh, I have the most? Ok. I didn't know that. I thought a couple of people were ahead of me. Well, that's pretty cool. I feel like I have a lot of stats and stuff like that. Hopefully, I can close this chapter of my life off good."
Last year, Gauff became the youngest American to win the US Open since Serena Williams. She admitted that winning a Grand Slam as a teenager was one of her goals and is looking forward to staying on the tour for at least another decade and adding more majors to her trophy cabinet.
"I am really happy with how my teenage years went. I did everything I wanted to do, which my biggest was winning a major as a teenager, hopefully I can win a couple more in my 20s. Age is just a number, I'm gonna be out here for at least another 10 years."
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