The 15-year-old American has reached the third round of the US Open with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win over Hungary's Timea Babos on Thursday in two hours, 22 minutes.
After the match, fans at Louis Armstrong Stadium, including her parents, chanted "Coco! Coco!"
"It gets me super pumped, and I'm like, wow," Gauff told ESPN on the court. "I'm really so grateful I'm playing in front of all of you guys. You actually believe in me. This is just the beginning. I promise. And I promise to always fight for you guys."
Next up for Gauff is a massive challenge. She gets world No. 1 and reigning US Open champion Naomi Osaka, who defeated Poland's Magda Linette 6-2, 6-4 earlier in the day. Babos, a 26-year-old qualifier, is ranked 112th.
"I don't have any thoughts on it right now because I have to play doubles tomorrow with Caty (McNally), so I'm really focused on that. ... So Saturday I'm going to think about the match, but tomorrow I'm worried about my doubles match," Gauff said.
With her latest win, Gauff is the youngest woman to reach the last 32 at Flushing Meadows since Anna Kournikova's run to the round of 16 in 1996.
Both of Gauff's US Open singles matches have gone three sets. In her first-round match on Tuesday, Gauff recovered from a set and a break down to defeat fellow teenager Anastasia Potapova at Louis Armstrong Stadium. She entered the fortnight ranked 140th, a career best.
The youngest player in the draw, Gauff is making her US Open debut as a wild card. She became an overnight sensation in July when she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, beating the likes of idol Venus Williams in the process.
In her run, she also became the first 15-year-old to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon since Martina Hingis in 1996. Gauff's Wimbledon came to an end at the hands of eventual champion Simona Halep, who lost earlier Thursday to 23-year-old American Taylor Townsend.
Gauff claimed the women's doubles title at the Citi Open earlier this month, where she partnered with 17-year-old and fellow American Caty McNally, who lost to Serena Williams on Wednesday. The duo is in the US Open women's doubles draw as well. In 2018, Gauff and McNally won the US Open girls' doubles title.
Earlier this week, Osaka approached he 15-year-old and struck up a friendly conversation.
"I have actually been trying to talk to her recently, because I feel she's a little bit like me, a little bit -- well, I saw her in the locker room, and she just had her headphones on," Osaka said Tuesday. "I was, like, Oh, looks familiar. I just went up and talked a little bit. She's super sweet."
Following her win on Thursday, hours before Gauff took the court against Babos, Osaka said she feels like she's having fun again.
"I'm not really caring too much about rankings or points," she said. "And I know that I said that if you win a tournament that automatically makes you No. 1, but I'm not even thinking about winning this tournament right now. Like, I'm thinking about my next match, and I know it's either going to be Coco or Babos. So I sort of feel free."
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