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WASHINGTON — In her first stop after four matches on Wimbledon’s biggest courts, Coco Gauff and her rising star illuminated the Citi Open on Saturday in the nation’s capital.
Gauff, 15, won a first-round qualifying match in front of a crowd of about 3,000, the largest in memory for the tournament’s qualifying rounds, which rarely feature players familiar to casual tennis fans.
“I just think it’s crazy how literally four weeks ago not a lot of people knew my name, and now a lot of people do,” Gauff said in a news conference after defeating Maegan Manasse, 6-4, 6-2.