{"id":844693,"date":"2026-09-12T00:16:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T00:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/844693\/"},"modified":"2026-09-12T00:16:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T00:16:32","slug":"michelle-obama-is-always-proud-of-coco-gauff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/844693\/","title":{"rendered":"Michelle Obama Is \u2018Always Proud\u2019 of Coco Gauff"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

Coco Gauff\u2019s<\/a> triumphant U.S. Open<\/a> run came to an end Thursday night, when she lost to Elena Rybakina during the women\u2019s semifinals. Gauff, who was ranked fourth in the world coming into the tournament, initially took the lead, but when her forehand started to waver, Rybakina crept ahead for a win of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. As Gauff left the stadium looking defeated, she received a standing ovation<\/a> from the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The love didn\u2019t end there \u2014 she also got a sweet shout out from Michelle Obama, who was watching the match.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig hugs to @CocoGauff!!!\u201d the former First Lady wrote<\/a> on X after Gauff\u2019s loss. \u201cShe\u2019s a joy to watch. Always proud. Go USA Tennis!! \ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffe\ud83d\udc95\u201d<\/p>\n

In a post-match news conference<\/a>, Gauff said that her fans\u2019 support makes the loss a little easier. \u201cIt always sucks at the end to feel like \u2014 well, I know it\u2019s not complete disappointment, but just not be able to get the win for them,\u201d Gauff said. \u201cBut they definitely carry me through a lot of these matches here. I can feel the love all the way down to the last point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coco Gauff says the other women in the U.S. Open semifinals are 3 to 4 years older than her\u2026 she\u2019s excited to keep working & see where her level is in a few years<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I played almost every match on my terms. The worst match for me was maybe the quarterfinal where I fell\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/0NywUYHuf4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Gauff had entered the New York event with momentum on her side: Last month, she won the Cincinnati Open, and prior to her match against Rybakina she had been on an 11-match winning streak. As the 2023 U.S. Open champion, she certainly had something to prove. And while things didn\u2019t go her way this time, Gauff isn\u2019t giving up just yet. \u201cRight now, it sucks. My dad came up; he was like, \u2018You accomplished so many great things this summer,\u2019\u201d she told reporters. \u201cI was like, \u2018I don\u2019t care about the summer!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Coco Gauff leaves the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium after falling to Elena Rybakina in the US Open semis. pic.twitter.com\/Iq3kgcYRfF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSo right now that\u2019s where my head is at,\u201d she added. \u201cI want to be a consistent player. I want to give myself as many opportunities to lift a trophy. But yeah, it hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily, Gauff has plenty of time to improve her game. \u201cI\u2019m looking at the other women, the other semifinalists, they\u2019re older than me, like three or four years older than me,\u201d she noted. \u201cNow I\u2019m just excited to keep putting in the work for another year, another two years, and see where I\u2019m at age 24, 25.\u201d If she can win the U.S. Open at the age of 19, I can only imagine the caliber of success her mid-20s will bring. Hopefully the Obamas have some congratulatory posts ready.<\/p>\n

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