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15-year-old Coco Gauff becomes youngest tennis titlist in over a decade

Coco Gauff swinging at the ball.
Gauff in a previous match. Photo: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images.

15-year-old tennis player Coco Gauff won her first WTA tournament title in Austria on Sunday, becoming the youngest tennis titlist since Nicole Vaidisova in 2004, CNN reports.

Details: Gauff lost the qualifying rounds for Sunday's tournament but made the draw when another player dropped out due to injury. She defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 1-6 and 6-2, and was awarded $43,000 for the win. CNN notes, however, that her tournament winnings are a fraction of what the teenage phenom is expected to make through future sponsorship earnings.

What they're saying: Gauff, who rose to national prominence after upsetting Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon in July, is often compared to the Williams sisters.

  • As Forbes writes: "The comparisons between Gauff and the Williams sisters have run rampant since she became the youngest to reach the U.S. Open girl’s final in 2017 at 13. Gauff grew up playing in Delray, Florida, a short drive from the home of Serena Williams, who Gauff says is her idol. Gauff works with Williams’ long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou."
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