Coco Gauff enjoys presence of UConn stars Paige Bueckers & Azzi Fudd in player's box at US Open 3R

Coco Gauff had UConn stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd in her player's box in the third-round match against Elina Svitolina at the 2024 US Open. After the match, the tennis star said their presence gave her "good vibes." Meanwhile, Bueckers extended an invitation to Gauff to come to UConn.

On Friday, August 30, Gauff defeated Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the fourth round of the US Open. The University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball players Bueckers and Fudd were a surprise presence in the 20-year-old's player box during the match.

She was asked about how the pair ended up in her box in the post-match press conference. Gauff replied she knew them from social media and it was good to finally meet them in person.

"Yeah, Paige and Azzi, I've known them on social media for a while. Obviously, they're very good at what they do in basketball at UConn, so, I knew that they were coming today and I got to meet them finally in person after the match...that was the first time I met them in person.

"They were sitting in my box, it was really cool. I think I got some of the good vibes from them to help me back me through. I saw Paige and both of them like standing up getting out their seats so it was great to have that support and you know hopefully I can return the favor at one of their games," Gauff said.

A video of Gauff's presser was posted on X (formerly Twitter) and Beuckers shared the post, along with a message inviting the World No. 3 to Storrs, where the University of Connecticut is located.

Beuckers wrote:

"Let’s get Coco to Storrs ‼️"

22-year-old Beuckers has been a student at the University since 2020 and plays as a point guard for the Huskies. She is one of the biggest names in the Big East Conference and is currently enjoying her off-season.

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Coco Gauff faces compatriot Emma Navarro in US Open 2024 4R

Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro. (Image: Getty)

Coco Gauff's US Open title defense has been going strong following her disappointing early exits at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open. The 20-year-old defeated Varvara Gracheva 6-2, 6-0 and Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-0 before ousting Elina Svitolina in the third round.

Gauff has set up a fourth-round clash against compatriot Emma Navarro. In her three rounds at the tournament, the 13th seed defeated Anna Blinkova 6-1, 6-1, Arantxa Rus 6-1, 6-1, and Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

This will be the third encounter between Gauff and Navarro with their head-to-head tied at 1-1. The winner of their match on Sunday, September 1, will take on either 25th seed Paula Badosa or Wang Yafan.