Coco Gauff’s mother Candi reacts to daughter’s gesture of sportsmanship after defeating Alycia Parks in 2024 Australian Open 3R

Coco Gauff’s mother Candi Gauff recently reacted to her daughter’s display of sportsmanship after her third-round victory over compatriot Alycia Parks at the 2024 Australian Open.

Gauff showed her class and compassion by consoling and encouraging her fellow American and longtime friend at the net.

On Friday, January 19, fourth-seeded Gauff faced World No. 82 Alycia Parks in the third round at the Margaret Court Arena. Parks had defeated Daria Snigur and 32nd seed Leylah Fernandez in her previous rounds and was playing in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Gauff was dominant on the day, winning 6-0, 6-2 in just over an hour, marking her 10th consecutive win at a Grand Slam. After the final point, the 19-year-old approached the net and hugged Parks, offering her words of encouragement and support. The gesture was captured by ESPN and posted on their Instagram account.

"Next time we play in the final," Gauff can be heard saying to Parks in the video.

Coco Gauff's mother Candi, who was a track and field athlete at Florida State University, shared the heartwarming moment on her Instagram story on Friday, January 19, and captioned it with a string of heart emojis.

"💗💗💗"

Candi Gauff on Instagram

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Coco Gauff to face Magdalena Frech in the 2024 Australian Open Round of 16

Coco Gauff at the 2024 Australian Open

Coco Gauff will face Magdalena Frech in the fourth round of the 2024 Australian Open on Sunday (January 21).

Gauff has been in excellent form in Melbourne. She breezed past Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Caroline Dolehide, and Alycia Parks in her previous rounds without dropping a set.

The American won her first WTA 1000 title at the 2023 Cincinnati Masters and reached the semifinals of the 2023 WTA Finals. She has seven singles titles and eight doubles titles to her name.

Frech, currently ranked 69th in the world, has been the surprise package of the tournament. She defeated Daria Saville, 16th seed Caroline Garcia, and Anastasia Zakharova to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. Her previous best result was reaching the third round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships in both singles and doubles.

Coco Gauff and Magdalena Frech have never met before on the WTA tour. The winner of this match will face either Marta Kostyuk or Maria Timofeeva in the quarterfinals.