Coco Gauff launched her US Open title defence with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Varvara Gracheva on Monday, firing 10 aces and saving eight break points to advance.

The 20-year-old American worked through some tight moments early on to polish off the victory in 66 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she captured her first Grand Slam title last year.

She was breezing through the second set when France's Gracheva, ranked 66th in the world, mustered a pair of break points in the final game.

Gauff saved both with aces as she booked a second-round meeting with Tatjana Maria of Germany, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Argentina's Solana Sierra.

"I served well," Gauff said. "Can't ask for a better start into this tournament, so hoping to continue to get better as the week, two weeks go by."

Gauff's build-up to the final Grand Slam of the season has been less than ideal. She fell in the third round at Toronto and lost her first match as the defending champion in Cincinnati.

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But she said taking the long view was helping her stay steady as she tries for the first time to defend a major title.

"The last couple of weeks were tough, and I was, like, 'I have to do this and do that.'

"But I don't have to prove anything to anyone except myself," she said.

"Just learning and just realizing that I have a lot left to give this game, and whether that's going to happen this year or in the future, I have many more years coming back here," she said. "And I'm not going to win every year."

She said that perspective, "and just having the belief that I can but not the expectation that I should" win had tamped down the pressure.

So did the confidence in her game that had built practice, despite her disappointing recent results.

"I wasn't surprised about my level because I was practicing really well this week," she said.

"It was a really good practice week. So honestly, I was just telling myself that I'm ready, I had a great practice week, I feel like I'm finding my game, whereas the other two tournaments that I played at, even the practice sessions I was doing, I just felt off.

"I knew based off how I was practicing I can find my game regardless of the scoreline. Then it's just about executing."

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience.

Coco Gauff launched her US Open title defence with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Varvara Gracheva on Monday, firing 10 aces and saving eight break points to advance. The 20-year-old American worked through some tight moments early on to polish off the victory in 66 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she captured her first Grand Slam title last year.

Coco Gauff launched her US Open title defence with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Varvara Gracheva on Monday, firing 10 aces and saving eight break points to advance. The 20-year-old American worked through some tight moments early on to polish off the victory in 66 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she captured her first Grand Slam title last year. She was breezing through the second set when France's Gracheva, ranked 66th in the world, mustered a pair of break points in the final game. Gauff saved both with aces as she booked a second-round meeting with Tatjana Maria of Germany, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Argentina's Solana Sierra. "I served well," Gauff said. "Can't ask for a better start into this tournament, so hoping to continue to get better as the week, two weeks go by." Gauff's build-up to the final Grand Slam of the season has been less than ideal. She fell in the third round at Toronto and lost her first match as the defending champion in Cincinnati. ALSO READ: Sven-Goran Eriksson, former England manager, dies at 76 after prolonged illness But she said taking the long view was helping her stay steady as she tries for the first time to defend a major title. "The last couple of weeks were tough, and I was, like, 'I have to do this and do that.' "But I don't have to prove anything to anyone except myself," she said. "Just learning and just realizing that I have a lot left to give this game, and whether that's going to happen this year or in the future, I have many more years coming back here," she said. "And I'm not going to win every year." She said that perspective, "and just having the belief that I can but not the expectation that I should" win had tamped down the pressure. So did the confidence in her game that had built practice, despite her disappointing recent results. "I wasn't surprised about my level because I was practicing really well this week," she said. "It was a really good practice week. So honestly, I was just telling myself that I'm ready, I had a great practice week, I feel like I'm finding my game, whereas the other two tournaments that I played at, even the practice sessions I was doing, I just felt off. "I knew based off how I was practicing I can find my game regardless of the scoreline. Then it's just about executing." Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

US Open 2024: Coco Gauff advances into 2nd round after easy win over Varvara Gracheva

Coco Gauff swept aside Varvara Gracheva 6-1 6-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Auckland Classic on Friday as the U.S. Open champion continued her impressive buildup to the first Grand Slam of the year at Melbourne Park.

Rain delayed the start of the match but once play began Gauff needed only 53 minutes to see off her French rival. The 19-year-old has not dropped a set in her title defence and did not face a single break point on Friday.

The world number three raced through the opening set and took a 4-0 lead in the second before Gracheva held serve, and with dark clouds gathering once again Gauff was quick to wrap up a victory which pits her against Emma Navarro in an all-American semi-final.

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"I was focusing on playing my game," Gauff said. "I thought I served really well, probably the best so far in the tournament, which is something I've been working on off-season. I'm really happy with how I played.

"I'm glad I was able to finish my match (before it could rain)."

At the Brisbane International, another warm-up tournament (for the January 14-28 Australian Open), Victoria Azarenka beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 3-6 7-5 to make the last four.

"With Jelena sometimes you just have to put on a helmet and try to stay in there," said Azarenka, who next faces Aryna Sabalenka or Daria Kasatkina. "But she's an incredible player, we've seen that many times. She's a Grand Slam champion, she proved many times that she can beat anyone on any given day."

In the men's section, Rafa Nadal, playing his first tournament after a lengthy injury layoff, will take on Australian Jordan Thompson later in the day for a place in the last four.

Coco Gauff swept aside Varvara Gracheva 6-1 6-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Auckland Classic on Friday as the U.S. Open champion continued her impressive buildup to the first Grand Slam of the year at Melbourne Park.

Coco Gauff swept aside Varvara Gracheva 6-1 6-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Auckland Classic on Friday as the U.S. Open champion continued her impressive buildup to the first Grand Slam of the year at Melbourne Park. Rain delayed the start of the match but once play began Gauff needed only 53 minutes to see off her French rival. The 19-year-old has not dropped a set in her title defence and did not face a single break point on Friday. The world number three raced through the opening set and took a 4-0 lead in the second before Gracheva held serve, and with dark clouds gathering once again Gauff was quick to wrap up a victory which pits her against Emma Navarro in an all-American semi-final. ALSO READ: La Liga: Ilkay Gundogan's stoppage-time penalty sees Barcelona through in tight clash at Las Palmas "I was focusing on playing my game," Gauff said. "I thought I served really well, probably the best so far in the tournament, which is something I've been working on off-season. I'm really happy with how I played. "I'm glad I was able to finish my match (before it could rain)." At the Brisbane International, another warm-up tournament (for the January 14-28 Australian Open), Victoria Azarenka beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 3-6 7-5 to make the last four. "With Jelena sometimes you just have to put on a helmet and try to stay in there," said Azarenka, who next faces Aryna Sabalenka or Daria Kasatkina. "But she's an incredible player, we've seen that many times. She's a Grand Slam champion, she proved many times that she can beat anyone on any given day." In the men's section, Rafa Nadal, playing his first tournament after a lengthy injury layoff, will take on Australian Jordan Thompson later in the day for a place in the last four.

Coco Gauff crush Varvara Gracheva in straight sets to reach Auckland Classic semis

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US Open 2024: Coco Gauff advances into 2nd round after easy win over Varvara Gracheva

Coco Gauff crush Varvara Gracheva in straight sets to reach Auckland Classic semis