Week 2 of the US Open Series kicks off in Atlanta this week at the Atlanta Open, where Reilly Opelka, John Isner, Jenson Brooksby and Nick Kyrgios are among the players who are looking to start their summer hard-court season in style.
Over the first two nights of the tournament, though, trio of American women took center stage under the lights as Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin and Taylor Townsend thrilled in a pair of exhibition matches.
Gauff and Townsend played each other on Sunday night, and Gauff returned to the court to take on Kenin on Monday night. Townsend was a late replacement for 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, who has not yet fully recovered from a foot injury that she suffered at Roland Garros in June.
Between the lines on Sunday, Gauff beat Townsend, 6-3, 6-3, but the message they sent to fans of all ages in the stands was just as important, as Gauff and Townsend both have ties to the city.
Gauff's father, Corey, played college basketball at Georgia State University, and she was born in Atlanta; at age 7, she and her family moved back to Delray Beach, Fla., where her parents hail from. Townsend, a Chicago native, has called Georgia home for much of her life.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Townsend, who was on-court in front of fans in Georgia for the first time since giving birth to her son Adyn last March.
(Adyn was even happy to join his mom on court for even a small part of her US Open preparations.)
Townsend, a doubles semifinalist in 2020 when she was early in her pregnancy, has entered this year's Open with a protected ranking. She also reached Round 4 in singles in 2019, losing to eventual champion Bianca Andreescu.
Townsend returned to professional tennis in April with no ranking; she's currently improved her position to No. 321 in singles and No. 108 in doubles, the latter position bolstered by a semifinal run in Paris alongside Madison Keys. Both she and Gauff raved about the opportunity to play in their "backyard" after the match.
“To be able to inspire people and to play in our backyard, where not a lot of people get to see us play live, it’s kind of like something that’s on their bucket list,” Townsend said. “But, to do it in our backyard, I think it’s so special. I’m so happy that we were able to do it."
"Taylor made it super fun. I think these matches have to do with the right person, and I think Taylor was the right person," Gauff added.
This week's showcase in Atlanta is not the first time that Gauff's taken her talents to an ATP event. Two years ago, she played then-reigning NCAA champion Estrella Perez-Somarriba of the University of Miami in an exhibition match ahead of the Delray Beach Open, and last summer, she joined Victoria Azarenka and Jessica Pegula for a round-robin exhibition at the Citi Open.
In addition to a fresh new orange match kit, Gauff also unveiled her brand-new signature shoe in collaboration with her sponsor New Balance; with her signature on the tongue, a motto Gauff's taken to heart is also etched on the toe: "You can change the world with your racquet."
Sidelined for more than four months with an ankle injury, Kenin made her return to the match court on Monday against Gauff. The 2020 Australian Open champion last played a match of any kind in March at the BNP Paribas Open, and has only played six WTA tournaments this year.
Kenin's 2021 season also ended prematurely; after losing in Round 2 at Wimbledon, she missed last summer's US Open after contracting COVID-19. A foot injury and an emergency appendectomy also hampered her last season.
Atlanta proved the perfect place for Kenin to ease back into competition though, with the 2020 WTA Player of the Year saying that she was thrilled to have the opportunity to face her friend Gauff when she announced her participation.
Gauff and Kenin's lone meeting at a WTA event came two years ago at the Australian Open in the fourth round. Kenin rallied from a set down to beat Gauff in that match, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-0, on her way to winning her first Grand Slam title. On Monday, Gauff won, 6-1, 6-2.
The exhibitions marked Gauff's first match action of any kind since a Round 3 loss to fellow American Amanda Anisimova at Wimbledon. Her summer schedule is packed: The Roland Garros finalist is expected to play in the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic the week of Aug. 1, and both the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati prior to the US Open.
Ranked No. 11, Gauff is currently the third-highest ranking American on the WTA tour behind No. 7 Jessica Pegula and No. 8 Danielle Collins. She reached the third round of the US Open in 2019 and the doubles final last year alongside Catherine McNally.
The 2022 Atlanta Open runs from July 23-30 in Atlantic Station. For more information, visit the tournament's official website at atlantaopentennis.com/.
