Coco Gauff Set to Play No. 1 Naomi Osaka in U.S. Open

The match we all deserve is happening. After becoming the youngest woman to make it to the third round of the U.S. Open since 1996, tennis prodigy Coco Gauff is set to face the defending U.S. Open champion, Naomi Osaka, this Saturday.

Gauff made it to the third round by beating Hungary’s Timea Babos  6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the Louis Armstrong Stadium on Thursday. After the match electricity seemed to flow through the stands as fans chanted her name. It was a response that caught Gauff by surprise.

“Most of the time you hear the chants, it’s for a whole team, not just for, like, me. So it was pretty cool,” she said.

Now Gauff is focused on bringing the same energy to her match on Saturday against the No.1 world champion, Osaka. It’ll be their first time playing each other.

“Obviously she’s an amazing player,” Gauff said. “She’s defending champion. She’s won two slams. She’s number one. She’s only 21. We’re both pretty young. But I’m a little bit newer to the game. So I’m just curious to see how my game matches up against her. Obviously I want to win. I just want to enjoy it, have fun, enjoy the battle. We’ll see how it goes.”

In addition to Gauff and Osaka making us proud, Serena Williams and 23-year-old Taylor Townsend also advanced to the third round of the tournament. Townsend upset Wimbledon champion Simone Halep, 6-3, 7-6 and Williams beat Catherine McNally 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. Both matches were played in the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It’s safe to say Black Girl Magic is in full effect at the U.S. Open as is the legacy of the Williams sisters and the trailblazers that came before them. We’ll be rooting and cheering everyone on!