In Pictures: Coco Gauff shows off her patriotic spirit with USA-dedicated celebratory pose after dominating Ajla Tomljanovic in Paris Olympics 1R

Coco Gauff expressed her love for her country after defeating Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in straight sets in the first round of the women’s singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Gauff is also the first American tennis player to have qualified for the Paris Olympics, where she is currently competing in all three events: singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

Gauff is one of the favorites to win the gold medal in Paris. The American has already won two Grand Slam titles in her nascent career, the 2023 US Open and the 2024 French Open doubles with Katerina Siniakova.

Gauff, who missed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to a positive COVID-19 test, made her Olympic debut in style, dominating Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-0 in just 57 minutes. The 20-year-old, who is seeded second in the singles draw behind Poland’s Iga Swiatek, showed no signs of nerves as she won the final eight games and broke her opponent’s serve six times.

Gauff shared her joy and pride on social media after her singles win, posting two pictures on her official Instagram account on July 28. In the first picture, she can be seen hitting a backhand during the match, and in the second, she is pointing both of her thumbs at the back of her dress where the USA is written.

Gauff captioned the pictures, "Rahhhhh," accompanied by an American eagle emoji and "US."

Gauff also had a successful start in the doubles event with partner Jessica Pegula. The top-seeded duo defeated Australians Daria Saville and Ellen Perez, 6-3, 6-1.

Gauff also had the honor of bearing the flag for Team USA in the opening ceremony, along with basketball star LeBron James, in a unique procession down the Seine River.

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Coco Gauff will lock horns with Argentina's Maria Lourdes Carle in Paris Olympics 2R

Coco Gauff at the 2024 Paris Olympics | Getty

American tennis star Coco Gauff will take on Argentina's Maria Lourdes Carle in the second round of the women’s singles tennis event at the Paris Olympics on July 29. Both players have never faced each other on tour.

Carle is a relative newcomer to the big stage, ranked No. 85 in the world and is yet to win a WTA title. The Argentine defeated Germany’s Tatjana Maria 6-0, 6-0 in the first round.

Gauff and her partner Jessica Pegula will take on either Czechia's Karolina Muchova/Linda Noskova or the AIN duo of Ekaterina Alexandrova/Elena Vesnina in the Round of 16.