Coco Gauff crashed out of the Australian Open after losing to fellow American Sofia Kenin in the fourth round. (Getty Images)
The United States of America have depended on the Williams sisters for a long time, but for all the domination from Venus and Serena, they will have to retire sooner rather than later.
Venus hasn’t been at her best due to injuries and age catching up while Serena has done well in bits and spurts but hasn’t won a singles Grand Slam title since 2017.
However, that shouldn’t be a problem for the United States as they have a couple of youngsters ready to make the big jump.
Coco Gauff is one of the brightest talents in the world and beat Naomi Osaka in this year’s Australian Open.
The 15-year-old, yes, she is still a teen, might have lost fourth round of the singles clash, but she did enough to make it to the Federation Cup team.
Serena is also in that team but Sofia Kenin is another bright star that should dominate the US scene for a while.
The 21-year-old reached the final of the 2020 Australian Open and will be looking for her first Grand Slam.
Kenin also won the award from the WTA for the most improved player in 2019, and it will be interesting to see how she does in the final against Garbine Muguruza.
Presently, the player with a brighter future is Kenin. The 21-year-old has been consistent in her performances over the past 18 months and also picked up three singles titles last year. She reached four finals and lost only one, which isn’t a bad record to have.
Kenin’s appearance in the final of the Australian Open should also provide her with a lot of confidence going into the season ahead.
She has three other Grand Slams to think about, and she has spoken about improving her game, much like most of the stars do.
For Gauff, the fact that she is still a teen is a positive but there are some riders with it too. The teen has time to grow and develop further, which means her speed and strength/height could be affected in a couple of years.
However, playing at such a high level already provides her with a ton of experience, something that most women on the WTA circuit would not have had at this age.
The one thing missing from Gauff’s game currently is consistency. This was on show in the Australian Open as she shocked Osaka first.
The defending champion had no answer to Gauff’s aggressive game, however, she couldn’t do the same to compatriot Kenin.
Gauff won the first set but lost the next two as Kenin continued her march in the tournament. The 15-year-old was honest in her assessment after the game and highlighted that she will continue to improve her game.
The teen also wasn’t disappointed at getting knocked out and that exuberance will help her in the future.
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Kenin is the present star for the United States but Gauff has all the tools to become one of the best in the world in a few years.
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