Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Video/ABS Originals
ABS OriginalsNews VideoSports

‘Beat My Idol’: Coco Gauff Beats Venus Williams in First Round of Australian Open

Posted byBy Daryl Nelson | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Cori “Coco” Gauff beat Venus Williams in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Fifteen-year-old Gauff beat the seven-time grand slam champion 7-6 6-3, which makes her second time defeating Williams.

The first was last year at Wimbledon, but this time the teen said she was in a different head space since she wasn’t used to playing in front of so many people in 2019.

Coco Gauff (L) defeated Venus Williams (R) at the first round of the Australian Open. (Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images)

“I definitely was more confident this time,” she explained. “I think I was used to playing on big courts, so the crowd, I guess the size of the crowd didn’t startle me as much as last time. Definitely a bit more positive coming into this match.”

According to ESPN, Gauff has become just the fourth woman in the past 30 years to win six or more major matches before turning 16.

After the Florida native defeated the 39-year old Williams, she thanked the local crowd for giving her a lot of support.

“I just want to say thank you guys. You guys were chanting my name and I only thought that would happen at the U.S. Open,” she stated. “To hear that here in Australia means a lot to me.”

She also went on Twitter after the victory and wrote, “1st win beat my idol Aussie crowds Great day #AustralianOpen #blessed.”

“Passing of the torch. Take it and run. Congratulations,” wrote one of her Twitter followers.

“Congratulations Coco! Beautifully played, well deserved win! Huge hug to you,” another comment read.

“Congratulations! And we are looking forward to more,” a third person stated.

Then a fourth wrote, “I SQUEALED. Or maybe it was more of a very high-pitched squeak. Congrats, girrrl!!!”

@CocoGauff Twitter



Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top