Gauff was delighted with the result as she lifted the lid on how Zhang left a lasting impression on her with a touching locker room moment.
“She said, ‘Don’t worry, Coco. You will win a Grand Slam,'” Gauff told WTA Insider.
“‘I have so much belief in you. I would bet my life on it.’ And then I won the US Open [in 2023]!
Watch US tennis star Coco Gauff’s ‘gruelling’ pre-season training workout
“I never told her that, but it stuck with me for a long time, just that she had that belief in me. I think every player on tour likes her so it’s so great to see her win.
“I love her. She deserves everything.”
Gauff and Zhang have played twice before, although both matches were before the latter’s losing streak.
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It was Gauff who got the better of her rival on both occasions in 2022, beating Zhang at the US Open and the Miami Open in straight sets.
Zhang will face No. 6 seed Emma Navarro, who made the semi-final of this year’s US Open, in the seco