At an age when most of her peers are just starting their first jobs, tennis superstar Coco Gauff is in full swing at the US Open. The 22-year-old is in the quarter-finals of the tournament tonight – and is one step closer to reclaiming the title she won in 2023.
Gauff put in a brilliant performance at the US Open 2026. The Florida native last played against his American compatriot Iva Jovic on Monday evening, won 6:1, 6:4 and was one of the last eight participants in the tournament. Her streak of four straight singles victories at the tournament was preceded by a trip to the Wimbledon semifinals and a Cincinnati title just weeks before the 2026 US Open. So far, Gauff hasn’t lost a single set in New York City – and the fourth-seeded player credits her triumphs with a change in her mindset.
“The biggest difference in the way I play is that I try to play without regrets,” Gauff said said afterwards her Monday win against Jovic. “I think I have a lot more fun and success when I play like this.”
According to the United States Tennis Association, the Gen Z athlete is one of six U.S. players to have made it to this stage of the US Open – the largest number of Americans to reach the quarterfinals since 2002. And as the last American woman to win the singles title in 2023, Gauff is now fighting to reclaim the title at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Tonight she will face 19-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva, the fifth-seeded rising star and reigning French Open champion. Even though Gauff hasn’t dropped the ball yet and lost a set, she remains true to her attitude of making mistakes and trusting her game.
“I think that when I maybe miss opportunities or lose a few games, I do a good job of just staying in the past and focusing on the present,” Gauff said said. “I sometimes don’t look at it as a missed opportunity. I just try to see it as something I can do better and just trust that I’ll be in the same position again.”
Gauff earns $35.5 million – and will take home at least $780,000 at the US Open
Over the course of her eight-year professional career, Gauff has become one of the best-known names in tennis.
The world recognized her talent when she was just 15 years old – a year into her professional career – when Gauff made history by becoming the youngest to qualify for the Wimbledon main draw. And in the years that followed, the professional athlete never stopped breaking records and making names for himself. In 2023, she became the youngest American to win the US Open singles title since Serena Williams in 1999; She then won the 2025 French Open singles title, her second Grand Slam singles victory. According to the Women’s Tennis Association, Gauff was also crowned world number one in doubles and world number two in singles. Gauff was also the U.S. flag bearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics, making her the youngest American flag bearer in U.S. Olympic history.
On and off the field, Gauff collects big checks for her partnerships and achievements. Accordingly, Gauff was named the highest-paid athlete in the world in both 2025 and 2024 Forbes. And this year she was the fifth highest paid from each athlete who earned a whopping $35.5 million – $7.5 million on the court and $28 million off the court. Aside from prize money from two singles titles in 2025, including the French Open, she earned money through endorsement deals and brand deals. Her sponsorships include Mercedes BenzChase Bank, Rolex and New Balance; and in 2025, Gauff also founded her own management company, Coco Gauff Enterprises, with the talent agency WME in order to “take greater control of my career.”
“As I get older, I not only want to be the face of brands, but also the brand,” says Gauff told Forbes last year. “My dad always said this was his plan for me when I was younger, and it was up to me whether I wanted to participate or not. And when I turned 18, I knew I wanted to work on it.”
Tonight, Gauff will leave the quarterfinal game hundreds of thousands of dollars richer, win or lose. If her 19-year-old opponent emerges victorious, the American player will take home the round’s prize money of $780,000. And if Gauff continues her four-win streak at this tournament, the honeypot will only get bigger: $1,450,000 for the semifinalists, $2,800,000 for the runner-up and $5,500,000 for the winner of the women’s singles event.