Appearing in the second round of the 2024 US Open has been a long time coming for Tatjana Maria of Germany. It’s been six years since she has reached this stage in Flushing Meadows, so you can bet that she will not be holding back for a shot at the third round when she takes on Coco Gauff Wednesday night.
Ranked just inside the Top 100 at No. 99, Maria handily defeated Solana Sierra of Argentina in straight sets in the first round, earning her a meeting with the defending champion. Here’s a background story on the American’s next opponent.
Maria has upset top players and found Grand Slam glory before.
Fans might remember Maria’s surprise run to the 2022 Wimbledon semifinals, when she defeated three seeds in No. 26 Sorana Cirstea, No. 5 Maria Sakkari, and No. 12 Jelena Ostapenko to reach the coveted final four at the All England Club. Her success came just after she returned to the Tour from maternity leave for her second daughter’s birth.
Maria was down a set and a break in that quarterfinal against Ostapenko when she stormed back to clinch the match and earn a career-best major finish. Later that summer, she reached the semifinals at the WTA 500 event in Seoul. Her efforts that year earned her a nod as the 2022 WTA Comeback Player of the Year.
The 37-year-old German has experience on her side.
As one of 31 women over the age of 30 who entered the US Open main draw, four of which are above 35, Maria brings a wealth of experience against Gauff, who is 17 years her junior. To put it into perspective, Gauff wasn’t yet born when Maria played her first ITF level tournament, and the American was just a toddler when Maria made her WTA main draw debut in 2006.
But in an era when players are peaking later in their career, a veteran status could play to Maria’s advantage. Less than two weeks ago, the German reached the final of the WTA 125 event in Barranquilla, Colombia. And earlier this year, she finished in the quarterfinals at Bogota, a title she has won twice before in 2022 and 2023.
As she takes the court against Gauff Wednesday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, she hopes to even the score on the duo’s head-to-head. Gauff claimed their lone meeting in straight sets at the 2023 Auckland event.
“It makes me so proud to be a mom; really it’s the best thing in the world,” Maria said.
It’s a family affair when Maria travels the globe for tennis.
As a mother of two girls, Charlotte, 10, and Cecilia, 3, Maria makes family a priority while traveling on tour with her husband and coach, Charles Maria, and their daughters. In fact, Maria’s oldest daughter is already showing promise as a tennis player, and she can often be seen sitting courtside while her mom practices.
“It makes me so proud to be a mom; really it’s the best thing in the world,” Maria said. “I love to be a mom and I love my two kids. To be able to do this together, it’s so nice to have them with me at practice, and everyone around is so nice and supporting us.”
