"As a kid, I didn't even know there were separate rankings for singles & doubles" - Coco Gauff after securing World No. 1 doubles ranking
As she clinched the Canadian Open doubles title alongside Jessica Pegula on Sunday, Coco Gauff became the World No. 1 in the doubles category for the first time in her career. She is just the 11th American woman to achieve this fabulous feat.
After eliminating Madison Keys and Sania Mirza in straight sets in the semifinals, third seeds Gauff and Pegula defeated Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-5 in the title clash. This was the second WTA 1000 doubles title for the pair after having won the Qatar Open earlier this year.
18 years old and No. 1 in the world in doubles. What a tournament for @CocoGauff!
She and @JLPegula claim the doubles title at the #NBO22, moving the youngster up to the top spot. Read more: 👇
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In a press conference after the match, the prodigy expressed her happiness but when asked if it was a goal for her to become No. 1, Gauff suggested that it wasn't until she turned pro.
"Being No. 1 is pretty cool. I have no words," Gauff said. "Honestly, as a kid, I didn't even know there were separate rankings for singles and doubles. So as a kid, no. But when I got on tour and realized I could do well in doubles, yes. I didn't put pressure on myself to do it, but I wanted to. Who wouldn't want to be No. 1 in anything? But yeah, I would say when I got on tour and started doing well in doubles and my ranking started going up, I realized that No. 1 was possible.
Had Gauff and Pegula lost the summit clash in Montreal, China's Zhang Shuai (currently second) would have sealed the No. 1 ranking.
Coco Gauff's mother surprises her at the Canadian Open
Coco Gauff won her fifth WTA doubles title at the National Bank Open. According to her Instagram story, her mother, Candi Gauff, surprised the youngster by flying in just before the match. An ecstatic Gauff took to social media to post a picture with her parents after winning the title.
"Mom surprised me and flew in. She canceled her hair appointment, that's real love right there," Gauff wrote.
Gauff started the Canadian Open as the sixth-ranked player, producing great results in the last few months. She reached the finals of two Grand Slam events — the 2021 US Open with Caty McNally and the 2022 French Open with Jessica Pegula.
The American was also a finalist at the Stuttgart Open, where she teamed up with Zhang Shuai.