Coco Gauff may have had the advantage heading into her first round US Open match.
But unseeded player Alja Tomljanovic still gave the American a big run for her money, with Coco eking out a victory in three sets after losing the second in a tiebreak.
“It was a tough match,” Coco admitted during an on-court interview after the match. “I had chances for it to be straight sets, but Ajla was tough. I felt like she was getting so many balls back and I was trying to push her back and she was standing on top of the baseline.”
After finding herself down 0-2 at the onset of the match, Coco was bolstered by the New York City crowd and eventually claimed the first set at 6-4. But after losing the second in a tiebreak, the world No. 3 eventually found her footing and clinched the match with a 7-5 showing in the third set.
“I had so many chances, so eventually they’re going to come,” Coco said. “I had chances to close it out in two, I had chances to go up double break so many times, so I was like, eventually one of these are going to go my way, and it did in that [final] game.”
The 21-year-old added of the match, “It wasn’t the best, but I’m happy to get through to the next round.”
And as she heads into her second round match up with Croatia’s Donna Vekic, Coco knows she has the support of a nation—and a city—behind her.
“New York is always an event I do well in, just being an American and to have won it two years ago,” she told E! News in an exclusive interview. “I’m very excited. The energy in this city and the US Open is like no other. I’m super excited to compete.”
She added, “I enjoy interacting with the supporters. The fan interaction is the thing I’m most excited for on and off the court.”
Plus, the two-time Grand Slam winner has the support of her loved ones—win or lose—especially from boyfriend Jalen Sera.
“Honestly after a good match, I just talk to my boyfriend, my friends, everyone cause I’m in a good mood,” she added to E!. “When I lose, I would say just my boyfriend 'cause he is the only one that can take me and my mood after a loss.”
After all, Jalen has the perfect play for when it comes to helping Coco navigate the sport’s harder moments.
“He’s always telling me to trust the process,” Coco, 21, said. “Just know that I’ve already accomplished a lot and there’s no need to be so negative. That’s kind of what my whole team, my parents, everybody says. I’m someone that can criticize myself a lot, so I just try to make sure that I stay positive.”
For more on the love lives of tennis stars, keep reading.
Ben Shelton
A new sporting power couple emerged when the tennis player and soccer star Trinity Rodman sealed their relationship with a kiss on Instagram in March 2025.
And she's been a stalwart supporter throughout the Grand Slam tournaments, including slamming reporters who invoked her estranged dad Dennis Rodman by emphasizing the refocus on Shelton's successes at Wimbledon.
“For Ben’s matches he has his family there as his support system, which includes his dad,” Rodman wrote on her July 7 Instagram story, calling out the Wimbledon broadcasters for their commentary about her family. “My dads not even in MY life no need to bring him up during HIS matches when I don’t even want him talked about during mine.”
Taylor Fritz
Fritz made his relationship with Morgan Riddle official in 2020 after first meeting on Raya, and the influencer has stood by her boyfriend’s side as he’s worked us way up the ATP rankings.
“I met him and started travelling with him on the tour a few months later,” she told E! News in 2024. “And now, it’s been almost four years of that.”
And the duo have often shared glimpses into their romance. In fact, Fritz—who was married to fellow tennis player Raquel Pedraza from 2016 to 2019 and welcomed son Jordan in 2017—and Riddle were featured on the Netflix series, Break Point, which explored the world of competitive tennis.
Coco Gauff
As of 2023, two-time grand slam champion was purposely keeping her love life private.
“I think I felt like I just, some parts of myself I love to share and then some parts I think I just keep to myself,” she told People in March 2023. “So I do feel like my life is a little bit in my hands too.”
Still, her boyfriend—whose fourth-grade teacher was coincidentally Gauff’s mom—has proven to be an important sounding board. “Last night, I started a little bit, but honestly, I just called my boyfriend,” Gauff told reporters about her 2023 US Open Win. “And I told him let’s talk until it’s time to go to sleep so we spoke until 1:00 am and then I went to sleep.”
Grigor Dimitrov
Dimitrov and Eiza González made their relationship Instagram official in May 2025, just one month after sparking romance rumors. And since then, the Baby Driver star hasn’t held back in showing her support for the athlete throughout the ups and downs—including after having to Withdraw from the Wimbledon in early July 2025 due to a mid-match injury.
“Love of my life. I couldn’t be more proud of you,” González wrote on her Instagram Story July 7. “This is just a moment that will pass and will make you even stronger. But watching you today alongside the world was a reminder of who YOU are. You’re a winner. We all saw it. And you’ll do it again. I love you.”
Alex De Minaur & Katie Boulter
After almost five years of dating, the tennis stars announced their engagement in 2024, with Boulter captioning the happy moment, “We’ve been keeping a small secret.”
The pair met in 2020 at a hotel where they were both staying. “We bumped into each other at six in the morning and ended up getting a coffee,” Boulter recalled to the Sydney Morning Herald in June 2024. “From that moment, I knew I was in it for the long haul.”
Naomi Osaka
In January 2025, the four-time grand slam champion her confirmed breakup with rapper Cordae after five years together. And while emphasizing that they remain friends, she expressed gratitude over their romance as it brought them their little girl Shai.
“Honestly really glad that our paths crossed because my daughter is my biggest blessing,” Osaka wrote at the time. “And I was able to grow a lot from our experiences together.”
Tommy Paul
Paul may have the skills on the court, but girlfriend Paige Lorenze, with whom he began dating in 2022, is a go-to coach when it comes to life outside the sport.
“She’s been on me about, I guess it’s self-care,” Paul told People in April 2025. “But just putting on more sunscreen and doing moisturizer at night.”
Still, Lorenze is no stranger to picking up a racket. “I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty impressed,” he gushed about his girlfriend’s tennis game. “She plays pretty good, she has the strokes down. She knows what she’s doing on the court.”
Gael Monfils & Elina Svitolina
The tennis stars are in sync on and off the court. In fact, they met after Svitolina won the 2018 WTA Finals in Singapore before tying the knot in July 2021. A little over a year later, they welcomed their baby girl Skaï.
“I had the most amazing night of my life, which ended with the most beautiful girl around 6:00 am. Elina was strong and brave,” Monfils wrote on Instagram in October 2022. “I can’t thx enough, my wife, and God, for this special moment. Welcome to the world, my little princess Skaï.”