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Coco Gauff Lights Up ASB Classic in New Zealand

American teenager Coco Gauff emerged victorious at the ASB Classic in New Zealand on Sunday.

The 18-year-old produced one of the most dominant performances over five matches in the tournament’s history and was a deserving winner, dropping just four games across the semi-final and final.

Gauff eased past Spaniard Rebeka Masarova 6-1, 6-1 in 107 minutes to win her first title since 2021, the third of her career and her first tournament victory on hardcourt since she was 15.

“Honestly, it’s been a great week,” Gauff said. “I got here on the 28th and all the way up to the tournament it felt like a vacation.

“My family was here, I was super relaxed and it was weird to be training pretty hard in the mornings and in the afternoons and evening being on vacation really.

“It was like I was living two different moments, but it’s something I’d like to do every year.

“Hopefully in Auckland, because I love Auckland, but wherever, I’ll bring my family for the first week.

“It’s tough the first half of the year, because you’re gone from being with your family all of the time, to not being with them for two months.

“So it was nice to ease that out and I know they had a good time. I like to show them new places in the world.”

Gauff has attracted praise for her charm and charisma off the court and her performances on it, in a tournament that has been plagued by bad news due to the rainy weather conditions and Emma Raducanu’s criticism of the state of the indoor courts.

Gauff visited Jellicoe Park Tennis Club in South Auckland on December 29, happily mixing with young players and helping to promote the sport among Pacific Island communities.

“That’s the reason why we’re after players like Coco,” Classic tournament director Nicolas Lamperin said.

“We want them to help us do a bit of promotion around the tournament.

“But we don’t want to force them and that’s the feeling I’ve always had with Coco. “Everything was very natural, she was enjoying the tournament, whether it was spending time with the kids at Jellicoe Park or jumping off the Sky Tower.”

Gauff will discover who she will be playing in the Australian Open when the draw is made on Thursday. The Open starts next Monday.

/Stewart
Sports news editor