Decorated US gymnast Simone Miles was in attendance at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday to watch fellow American Coco Gauff defeat Donna Vekic, 7-6, 6-2, in the second round of the 2025 US Open.
After winning the match, Gauff spoke highly of Biles, saying she draws inspiration from the 11-time Olympic medalist. She acknowledged how it must be for the gymnast to perform on the six-inch beam, while saying that her job is to just hit the ball on the tennis court.
“Honestly, I saw her and, honestly, I don’t know if she’s up there, but she helped me pull it out,” Gauff said. “I was just thinking, like, if she can go on a six-inch beam and do that with all the pressures of the world, then I can hit the ball in this — what is it — 75 feet? I don’t know how big this court is.
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"So yeah, I saw her late in the second, getting interviewed by ESPN, and it brought me a little bit of calm just knowing her story, with all the things she went through mentally. She’s an inspiration, surely. And you know, her presence definitely helped me today. You’re awesome."
Moments after her heartfelt praise for the gymnast on the court, Gauff met Biles in a hallway at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where both shared their mutual admiration for each other.
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Biles is widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time. She has won seven Olympic golds and has won 23 World Championships.
What’s next for Coco Gauff?
After her victory against Donna Vekić, she almost broke down in tears as her serving made her struggle in the first round, but she regathered herself to put on a fine display in the second set. She committed eight double faults, which is two less compared to her first round match.
“It feels human, I think,” she said. “Being an athlete, people kind of disregard that side of us. People say, ‘You’re No. 3 in the world, you should be better.’ But at the end of the day, if I didn’t pick up a racket tomorrow, I’ve had a career so many would dream of. Basically, what you saw out there was what it was, and I was able to reset through it. It was a challenging moment for me on the court.”
Coco Gauff has advanced to the third round and is set to face Magdalena Fręch next. She holds the advantage in their head-to-head record, having defeated Fręch in both of their previous encounters without dropping a set.
