Sports
Why Coco Gauff is so tough to face – told by those who have
First, some numbers.
Coco Gauff is 34-4 since she got a tough draw at Wimbledon and lost in the first round to 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
She had a 16-match win streak from the middle of August to early October.
She is undefeated in 2024, a perfect 10-0, winning 20 of 22 sets.
She played her worst match in aeons in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open on Tuesday against Marta Kostyuk, double-faulting nine times and allowing Kostyuk to break her serve seven times. And she still won.
All of this qualifies Gauff as “tough to beat”.
She is one the biggest stars in women’s tennis and arguably its best athlete. She grew up in Florida playing basketball and running track. Her father had her tossing footballs to build up her shoulder strength. She does not quit.
But why? What makes solving Gauff so difficult? What are her superpowers?
We asked some of the people who know best and Gauff herself.
The movement
There is a saying in tennis that strokes can be erratic but legs never go into a slump. Gauff certainly has that going for her. Her forehand can be unreliable. Her serve is prone to shakiness. She’s still a teenager. But she is the Energizer Bunny of women’s tennis.
“She’s moving really well,” says world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who has a 2-4 record against Gauff. “Everything you do on court, it’s coming back. You need to build the point, probably a couple of times in one point, to have that, not easy shot, but, yeah, easy shot, to finish the point.”
Gauff outlasts opponents often in rallies (Yanshan Zhang/Getty Images)
Laura Robson, the former pro and now television commentator, calls Gauff the best mover in women’s tennis.
“She’s so explosive,” Robson says.
Gauff doesn’t disagree.
Asked for a list of her strengths, this is how she started: “Definitely my movement.”
With a powerful serve and a solid return, Gauff has won 60 percent of the points at this tournament that last less than five shots, but as a point goes on and becomes a running race, her drop-off isn’t all that steep despite that shaky forehand. She wins 56 percent of those between five and eight shots, and 54 percent when the point lasts more than nine shots.
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The serve
Gauff has the fastest serve in this tournament so far, at 123.7mph (199kmh). She said she didn’t realize how hard she served until she started on the tour at 15 and saw the speed clock on the scoreboard hitting the 120s. Other women didn’t do that. She was impressed.
“When my serve is on, I think my serve is a big weapon for me,” she says.
Gauff hits one of her big serves in Melbourne (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
When it’s working, the serve is hard and deep. Kostyuk calls Gauff’s serve “tricky”.
“Great serve,” the world No 50 Linda Noskova, who is 0-2 against Gauff, answers immediately when asked about her strengths.
The return
This may be one of the more overlooked parts of Gauff’s game.
A student of the sport always on the lookout for an edge, Gauff has spent a lot of time watching videos of Novak Djokovic, arguably the greatest returner ever. She said she has tried to emulate his shorter return stroke and use the power of her opponents’ serves against them, rather than generating power on her own.
That is what she did for years as a junior, stepping into the court and ripping. Over the years, she’s learned that isn’t necessary or effective against better serves from grown women.
Better get your first serve in against her — otherwise, she wins 64 percent of the points.
Gauff hits a return against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk (William West/AFP via Getty Images)
Storm Hunter, one of the top doubles players, says playing that version of tennis — Gauff is a two-time Grand Slam doubles finalist — has likely helped her return immensely.
In doubles, Hunter says, “You have to be really specific with your serve and return and you have to kind of make some decisions more: more tactical decisions, changing down the line or lob crossing.”
The backhand
Gauff would hit backhands all day if she could. She can fire it down the line or crosscourt. She can float it softly to thread a needle or whip it running into the court after a dying drop shot.
“Backhand, obviously, is her strength,” Kostyuk says. “It’s good. It’s really good. She’s not missing much from the backhand. And you really need to pick a shot. You really need to pick which shot you’re going to play there because it has to be sharp and it has to be different.”
At the net
Gauff 1.0 was not a great net player. Her hands lacked a softness and she didn’t have the surety she does now.
Kostyuk says Gauff gets so close to the net and with her long arms, she can be hard to pass. Lobs can work, but she can use her speed and her engine to chase those down.
Gauff has improved her volleying (George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Again, Hunter says, doubles has likely helped.
“She sees the ball very early and takes balls out of the air and puts them away,” she says. “It makes it very difficult. She has a lot of courage, especially, because, she’s young, but she’s confident.”
The fighter
There are no real metrics for mental strength, but you know it when you see it; or, in Gauff’s case, when you feel it.
“That’s gotten me through a lot of matches,” she says. “I feel like, mentally, I’m one of the strongest out there and I try my best to reset after each point.”
Casey Dellacqua, the Australian commentator and 2011 French Open mixed doubles champion, backs that thinking, saying it is what makes the difference for Gauff.
“It’s her competitiveness, her composure and her refusal to leave the court,” she says. “We saw that in the quarterfinals, even when she wasn’t playing that well. When you’re a Grand Slam champion, you have that X factor. She has that.”
(Top photo: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Sports
Teenage golfer Miles Russell delivers his dad an all-time Father’s Day experience during US Open final round
America 250: Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones was born on March 17, 1902, in Atlanta, Georgia, and became one of the greatest amateur golfers in history. As a teenager, he reached the third round of the U.S. Amateur at age 14, showing early promise. He went on to win 13 major championships, all as an amateur, a record that still stands. In 1930, Jones achieved the
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Miles Russell is the youngest player in the 2026 U.S. Open field at just 17 years old. Teeing it up in a major championship at that age, let alone making the cut as he did at Shinnecock Hills, made for an already unforgettable week for him and his family.
The young man had one final surprise up his sleeve for Sunday’s final round, however, that not only his family will cherish forever, but made plenty of golf fans watching the moment unfold a bit misty-eyed.
After hitting his approach shot into the par-4 18th, Russell’s caddie made his way over to the gallery. He proceeded to take off his caddie bib and hand it and Russell’s golf bag over to Russell’s father, Joe.
Miles Russell plays his tee shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the UNC Health Championship at Raleigh Country Club on May 29, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jordan Bank/Getty Images) ((Photo by Jordan Bank/Getty Images))
TEENAGE PHENOM MILES RUSSELL MAKES ENTIRE GOLF WORLD FEEL OLD WITH EYE-POPPING QUOTE AHEAD OF US OPEN DEBUT
According to the NBC broadcast, the entire thing was Russell’s idea. He approached USGA rules officials before teeing off on Sunday to ask them if it was okay to have his dad take over caddying duties for the final hole, and they gave him the green light.
Talk about a Father’s Day gift that may never be topped.
“It was pretty cool,” Russell said after Sunday’s final round. “Just there walking up 18, that’s when he stepped in. It was kind of a fun Father’s Day gift. Kind of cool since it was my first one. Hopefully it’s something he’ll remember for a long time.”
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Amateur Miles Russell of the United States walks across the 16th hole during the first round of the 126th U.S. OPEN at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 18, 2026 in Southampton, New York. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Russell shot 3-over in the opening two rounds of the U.S. Open to make the cut by two shots. During Saturday’s third round, he struggled a bit en route to a 74, but backed it up with a final round score of even par.
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Miles Russell on the seventh tee during the first round of 126th U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 18, 2026 in Southampton, New York. (Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
Russell qualified for this week’s U.S. Open after advancing in the final stage of qualifying in a three-man playoff vying for two spots in the field. He had Charlie Woods, Tiger’s son, on the bag as his caddie during the qualifier. Both Woods and Russell have committed to play college golf at Florida State.
In 2024, Russell became the youngest player in Korn Ferry Tour history to make the cut in a tournament, eventually finishing T-20
The Lakers will seek to use their 25th pick in Tuesday’s first round of the NBA draft on a player who fills a need on a roster that could have up to nine free agents this summer. Yet the Lakers also are aware that picking that late in the round could leave them selecting the best player available.
They probably will be in search of a center who can be a lob threat or an athletic wing who can play defense and knock down three-pointers, two positions the Lakers crave as they try to build a team around star Luka Doncic that fits best with his style of play.
Names that NBA executives and mock drafts attached to the Lakers are Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance, Texas forward Dailyn Swain and Duke wing Isaiah Evans.
The Lakers spent time in Spain looking at 20-year-old guard Sergio de Larrea, but many NBA scouts see him going later in the first round or even in the second. According to people not authorized to speak publicly, the Lakers were impressed by their workout with Purdue point guard Braden Smith. But he’s on the smaller side (6 feet) and played four years in college, leading scouts to believe his upside is not that high and that he’ll be drafted in the second round.
The Lakers don’t have a pick in Wednesday’s second round.
After the Lakers were swept by a deep and athletic Oklahoma City team in the second round of the playoffs, president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka outlined what it takes when trying to compete in the uber-tough Western Conference against the likes of the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, who became the second-youngest team to reach the NBA Finals.
Pelinka looked at how Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell was drafted in the second round and how he flourished in just his second season, especially in the playoffs, in which he averaged 15.1 points and 4.3 assists in 11 games.
“Depth is really important, athleticism and youth. We have a lot of components of that on our roster, but we need to add to it,” Pelinka said last month during his exit interview with the media. “I think those are some of the key North Stars that we need to look at.
“One of the players that they had who played really well, Ajay Mitchell, they got in the second round. So there’s ways to add to your roster if you commit to doing the hard work and commit to the process of adding the right pieces. … We’ll be doing that through the draft and free agency and through trades. We’ve gotta find a way to have a roster that will compete with any team in the NBA. That’s what we do here.”
The Lakers do have three tradable first-round picks — 2026, 2031 and 2033 — but the latter two can’t be moved until after the draft.
Lakers star LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent and is looking for a deal from the Lakers, while Austin Reaves is expected to opt out of his $14.8-million deal so he can sign a contract with them for up to five years and about $241 million.
Still, the Lakers have to proceed with the draft to find a player.
Texas forward Dailyn Swain, left, vies for a loose ball against Purdue guard Braden Smith during an NCAA tournament game in March.
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
Swain (6-7) and Evans (6-6) are the kind of athletic wings the Lakers could use, but both might be chosen before the Lakers make their pick.
The 6-9 Quaintance could slide to the Lakers because of health concerns. He played in only four games last season at Kentucky because the team was being cautious following knee surgery after he tore an anterior cruciate ligament when he played at Arizona State.
Scouts still view him as mobile, athletic and young enough — he turns 19 next month — to develop. But, Quaintance will need to rehab his knee and probably won’t be ready for the upcoming season. When healthy, scouts said, he can be the lob threat and defender that Doncic yearns to have.
Sports
Bryce Harper hits for cycle, Kyle Schwarber blasts three homers in Phillies blowout win over Mets
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The Phillies’ turnaround following the dismissal of manager Rob Thomson reached a new milestone when two of the franchise’s biggest stars delivered a historic performance.
Kyle Schwarber launched three home runs, including two in the third inning, while Bryce Harper completed the cycle to add yet another achievement to his accomplished career.
The offensive explosion powered Philadelphia to a 15-3 rout of the New York Mets on Saturday, as the Phillies continued their surge and received a signature performance from two of the game’s most recognizable stars.
Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber celebrates his home run with Bryce Harper during the third inning against the New York Mets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 20, 2026. (Chris Szagola/AP)
Schwarber’s first home run traveled 456 feet, while his second blast of the third inning measured 457 feet off Mets reliever Cionel Pérez.
He capped his night with a two-run homer in the seventh inning. Schwarber’s major league-leading home run total climbed to 28, and the performance marked the fifth three-homer game of his career.
Cristopher Sanchez allowed one earned run in six innings to lower his ERA to 1.80.
It’s his 23rd straight start at Citizens Bank Park in which he allowed two earned runs or fewer, the second-most such starts by a pitcher at the same ballpark in MLB history since 1913, trailing only Jacob deGrom’s 24 at Citi Field for the Mets from Sept. 9, 2019 to Aug. 31, 2022.
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Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies leave the field after defeating the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 20, 2026. (Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Schwarber is the 67th player in major league history and second this season with multiple home runs in an inning, joining Houston’s Yordan Alvarez on June 12.
Schwarber is the fourth Phillies player to hit two home runs in an inning, along with Trea Turner (Aug. 19, 2023), Von Hayes (June 11, 1985) and Andy Seminick (June 2, 1949).
Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber hits a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 20, 2026. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Harper hit a solo home run in the first inning, his 16th of the year. He doubled and singled in the third, then hit a two-run triple to the gap in left-center field in the fifth for his first career cycle and the 11th in Phillies history.
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The Phillies and Mets will wrap up their three-game series Sunday night, with first pitch set for 7:20 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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