"She's definitely a favorite" - Jessica Pegula expresses confidence in Coco Gauff's US Open prospects, labels her the 'future of the sport' 

Jessica Pegula has expressed optimism regarding Coco Gauff's prospects at the 2023 US Open, highlighting her compatriot's affinity for playing in front of a crowd and her heightened confidence following a successful North American swing in the lead-up to the American Major.

Pegula and Gauff, seeded third and sixth respectively, will both be on the hunt for their maiden Grand Slam titles at the US Open, the main draw matches of which are scheduled to commence on August 28.

At her pre-tournament press conference, Jessica Pegula hailed Coco Gauff's recent achievements, highlighting her triumphs at the Citi Open and the Cincinnati Open.

"I'm glad that it seemed like she got confidence from that week, as well, and was able to take it into Cincinnati. I think she's really confident. When any player is confident, that's when they're toughest to beat," she said.

The World No. 3 contended that Gauff's enhanced confidence, combined with her love of playing in front of a supportive crowd, positioned her as a firm favorite for the US Open title.

"I know she loves playing with a crowd. Yeah, I think she's definitely a favorite for this. I think there's a lot of favorites, but yeah, especially her, her and the crowd, coming off a lot of momentum, it's big," she said.

Pegula also expressed her delight regarding Coco Gauff's progress and hailed her as the "future of the sport."

"Yeah, it's been really nice to see. I'm glad she's been improving and learning. She's the future of the sport, so... It's nice to see," she added.

"Coco Gauff said it helped her beat Iga Swiatek" - Jessica Pegula on her own win over the World No. 1

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula

Jessica Pegula praised Coco Gauff's "promising" resurgence following her first-round exit at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. She also commended the 19-year-old's drive and determination to succeed.

"No, Coco has been -- I think definitely that Wimbledon loss seemed to really drive her to want to improve and get better. I think she came out of that really hungry, which is great to see from somebody that already has a lot of success at such a young age. Already has a long journey ahead of her. To see her bounce back from that was really promising," she said.

En route to her Cincinnati Open title, Gauff secured her first-ever win over Iga Swiatek after failing to win a set during their previous seven encounters. Pegula disclosed that the teenager had drawn inspiration from her win over the Pole at the Canadian Open.

"I think she said it kind of helped her, she thinks, beat Iga because I beat her, then I beat Iga. That's how it works sometimes on tour, when you see your friends or your coworkers, whatever you want to call them, having success, you've maybe beaten them, whatever it is, it can give you a lot of confidence going into another week where you're in that situation," she added.

Jessica Pegula will kick off her campaign at the 2023 US Open against Camila Giorgi. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff awaits the outcome of the qualifying rounds to determine her first-round opponent at the Major.