For Coco Gauff, four years ago feels like taking a trip down memory lane, as she revisited the day she won her maiden WTA title at the Austria Open Linz.
It is easy to forget that Gauff, 19, won her very first Tour-level title in 2019 as a 15-year-old. Most of the time, when you start a craft at a young age, people tend to be lost in the magnitude of your accomplishment. And that theory certainly holds some truth in Gauff's case.
Gauff stunned former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 in the final to hoist the trophy. Before the start of the week, Gauff had never reached the quarterfinal stage at a Tour-level tournament but conquered a number of firsts during the week in Austria.
Gauff also achieved the rare feat of winning a tournament as a lucky loser, having lost to Tamara Korpatsch in the qualifying round on the weekend preceding the main draw. It is fair to say, she played with the handbrake off as she would only drop a set in the main draw in her run to the final.
On the fourth anniversary since that title win, Gauff reacted to the video on X, formerly Twitter. "I want to hug her," she wrote, feeling nostalgic seeing her 15-year-old self become the youngest WTA titlist since 2004. The result also catapulted Gauff into the world's Top 100 for the first time, and into the dizzying heights of the Top 70.
While still in her teenage years, Gauff has risen to a career-high ranking of No. 3 after winning a maiden Grand Slam title at last month's US Open - the youngest American to win the New York Slam since Serena Williams over two decades ago.
The 19-year-old will be looking to seal her career-best season by winning the 2023 WTA Finals for the first time, with the tournament set to begin in a couple of weeks. Gauff has qualified in both singles and doubles events.
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