Coco Gauff eased her nerves quickly as she opened her defense of the US Open title with a straight-sets victory on Wednesday. The American fourth seed, who won the tournament last year, defeated Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-4 at the Flushing Meadows hard courts.

Gauff acknowledged feeling anxious moments before the match, describing pre-match jitters while waiting in the tunnel. However, she said those nerves subsided once the warm-up began, allowing her to begin the match strongly, particularly with her serving.

“I was nervous in the tunnel, and then for some reason when the warm-up started, it went away," Gauff said. "It showed in the first game how I came out serving really well.” She added that confidence built throughout the week contributed to her composure, along with the knowledge that both players would need to perform at high levels for the match to be competitive.

Despite some resistance from Sonmez in the second set, the young American maintained control and secured a straightforward win in her opening round. Gauff’s performance suggests she is in a positive frame of mind as she advances deeper into the tournament.