Coco Gauff Gets US Open Crowd Chanting Her Name Ahead of Round 3

Coco Just Got Her Own Hype Squad

Coco Gauff walked into practice before her Round 3 match at the US Open and found the crowd already chanting her name — led by, of all people, the venue staff. Gauff and her mother were caught on camera laughing and filming the bleachers as fans picked up the call-and-response energy: staffer says "Coco," crowd says "go." It's the kind of moment that only happens when a hometown crowd senses something real is building, and right now, in New York, it is.

Why the Hype Is Actually Earned

This isn't just American-fan enthusiasm for an American player. Gauff arrived at Flushing Meadows fresh off a Cincinnati title and opened her Open campaign with a clean straight-set win. But the real test came against Paula Badosa in Round 2 — a player who had owned Gauff's number, winning 5 of their previous 8 meetings, including a 2025 Australian Open loss and a tough defeat in Berlin back in June. Badosa has consistently found ways to get under Gauff's skin on court.

Not this time. Badosa grabbed two break points in Gauff's very first service game, and Gauff saved both. She broke back in the seventh game to seize control of the opener. Set two turned into another dogfight — breaks traded back and forth until it spilled into a tiebreak, which Gauff closed out 7-5. It wasn't dominant, it wasn't easy, but it was a win over a specific opponent who has haunted her in the past.

The Bigger Picture: Confidence Under Pressure

Gauff was candid afterward about feeling nervous during the match, but she framed it as part of the process — the kind of grinding, high-pressure win that builds the mental toughness needed deep into a Grand Slam. That's arguably more valuable than a routine blowout. She now carries an 8-match winning streak into the second week, having dropped just a handful of sets across 16 played.

What This Means for Her US Open Run

Beating a player who's historically given you trouble, in front of a crowd that's already treating you like the hometown favorite, is a psychological boost that can carry through a tournament. The staff-led chant might seem like a small, fun moment, but it reflects something bigger: New York has adopted Coco Gauff as its own, and she's playing like someone who wants to reward that support with a deep run — maybe all the way.