Coco Gauff’s former Atlanta coach says U.S. Open final is her ‘match to win’

Millions of fans are expected to watch tennis superstars Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton hit the court.

The two Atlanta natives advanced to the U.S. Open semifinals. Gauff won her match to advance to Saturday’s finals. Shelton fell to the world No. 2 ranked player, Novak Djokovic, on Friday afternoon, ending the 20-year-old’s historic run.

“I think it’s Coco’s match to win,” said Jewel Peterson, Coco Gauff’s former tennis coach.

Jewel Peterson told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington she just always knew.

“There was this level of intensity [in her] that I had never seen and still have never seen in a 7-year-old,” Peterson explained.

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Peterson used to coach a young Gauff in metro Atlanta years before she grew into a tennis phenom.

“Watching Coco grow in this way, I’m just so blessed to be a part of it,” Peterson explained.

Gauff and Shelton’s runs in the major tournament is an achievement admired around the world and on tennis courts across much of Atlanta.

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“I aspire to do the things that they’re doing right now,” high school tennis player Mackenna Stewart told Washington.

Sisters Mackenna and Mackenzi Stewart started playing tennis at the age of three. They said their eyes have been glued on Shelton and Gauff.

“They have a great all-around game. They know how to play from the baseline. Play defense when they need to, but they also know how to apply pressure on their opponents,” said Mackenzi Stewart, who plays tennis at Georgia State University.

Mackenna Stewart said she believes Gauff’s success sends a special message to other young, Black female athletes.

“You can do what you want to do, like if you want to go to the U.S. Open like Coco, you can. Nothing is too far out of reach,” she explained.

Peterson said she will be rooting for her former star student.

“I would definitely encourage her to continue to stay focused and believe,” Peterson said.

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