Former champions Gauff, Osaka advance at the US Open

NEW YORK: Simone Biles provided some inspiration to Coco Gauff during a tough match at the US Open on Thursday night. And after Gauff won, she was thrilled to get the chance to chat with the Olympic star.

Biles was in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands for Gauff’s 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Donna Vekic in the second round. During her on-court interview, Gauff thanked Biles for being there and providing a boost — then delivered the message face-to-face.

Gauff, a 21-year-old from Florida who owns two Grand Slam titles, said the thought of Biles doing her job on a balance beam gave her confidence to know she could perform on a tennis court.

“She helped me pull it out,” said Gauff, who wiped away tears several times during and following the match. “It brought me a little bit of calm just knowing her story with all the things she went through mentally.”

Gauff said Biles is on her Mount Rushmore of athletes, along with Serena Williams.

During an interview on ESPN’s telecast of the match, Biles said Gauff was the reason she returned to Flushing Meadows.

Biles won four gold medals and one silver at the 2024 Paris Games, three years after pulling out of some events at the Tokyo Olympics because of a mental block — known in the gymnastics world as “the twisties” — that made her afraid to attempt certain dangerous moves.

Gauff said she’s a fan of Biles’ for “everything she went through on the mental side of things of the sport, something that I followed closely and tried to learn from.”

“To see her there kind of gave me a reminder that I needed,” Gauff said.

Biles praised Gauff for her grace and humility and empathized with the decision to hire biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan to help with her serve.

“As she gets older and matures, and now (that) she’s an adult, she gets to make these type of decisions that’s best for her career, so I’m supportive 100%, because I know what that’s like,” Biles said.

Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka is back in the third round for the first time since 2021, the year after she won her second championship at Flushing Meadows.

She's playing rather well at the moment, too, under the guidance of a new coach. Just don't expect Osaka to weigh in on whether she feels as if she is ready to make another deep run at the place.

“Honestly, I don’t really know. I don’t make it my business to know anymore. I kind of just leave it up in the air,” the 23rd-seeded Osaka said after eliminating Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 6-1 in the second round in just 70 minutes Thursday.

Osaka’s four Grand Slam trophies all arrived on hard courts: two at the US Open, two at the Australian Open.