The Mubadala Citi DC Open has been a very eventful tournament so far. While players have given their all on the tennis court, the tournament has also witnessed players collapsing during a match, and climate protests to name a few. On Friday evening, the crowd witnessed something very stressful during Coco Gauff’s match.
The incident took place during Coco Gauff’s match against Belinda Bencic. The two clashed in the quarterfinal of the Citi Open, and Gauff won the match without breaking a sweat.
However, Coco Gauff won hearts with her life-saving skills. The match had to be stopped when a fan fell ill and paramedics rushed in to help. Following her victory, Gauff enquired about the fan’s health.
Coco Gauff on the fan that fell ill during her match against Bencic:
“I just took a CPR class so if they needed me to jump in I was ready 😂 I have my certification.”
Doctor Coco. 🩺❤️ pic.twitter.com/V3AmvWhpxV
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 5, 2023
When Gauff was asked about it in the post-match interview, she said, “I was making sure that it wasn’t something cardiac. I just took a CPR class, so if they needed me to jump in I was ready I have my certification. But yeah, everybody in the crowd should take the class. It only took 90 minutes.” After Gauff’s reply, the interviewer proudly said, “Dr. Gauff is here.”
Coco Gauff is loved by fans worldwide and her answer only endeared her to them even more. The crowd greatly appreciated her answer, and even stood up to applaud her thoughtfulness and compassion.
Belinda Bencic vs Coco Gauff: As it happened
The quarterfinal clash between Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic was pretty much one-sided. Bencic was not able to even pose a threat, as Gauff took her apart.
This matchup was highly anticipated, as the Tokyo Gold medallist Bencic took on the young Grand Slam finalist. Bencic, however, had no answer for Coco’s brilliance and the young American registered a comprehensive victory.
Gauff annihilated Bencic 6-1, 6-2, as she made her way to the semifinal of the Citi Open. The rising American star will face Luidmilla Samsonova next in the semifinal.
Magical under the lights 💫@CocoGauff delivers a statement 6-1, 6-2 win against Bencic to reach the semis in DC!#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/wKU8HpoSy4
— Mubadala Citi DC Open (@mubadalacitidc) August 5, 2023
Coco has not had a very good year so far, crashing out of Wimbledon in the first round. But she is slowly reviving her game and she has looked very potent so far.
Gauff’s performance was the epitome of perfection. She excelled in her serves and her returns. Gauff converted six out of nine break points and won twelve out of nineteen on Bencic’s second serves.
Coco will take heart from this victory and will hope to produce a similar result against Samsonova in the semifinal. Her hard work is slowly paying off. Coco will be hoping to carry this momentum forward, with the US Open right around the corner.