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U.S. OPEN

August 30, 2017

Coco Vandeweghe

New York, NY, USA

C. VANDEWEGHE/A. Riske

2-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. When you were coming to the tournament, tell me about what you thought about the draw.
COCO VANDEWEGHE: In what sense? My match, my first-round match?

Q. Yes.
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Well, I mean, to play one of your really good friends is not easy. Allie and I have had some good matches and some not-so-good matches on her end.

But we've played a lot. We've kind of come up through the ranks together, playing the challenger tour together. We've spent a lot of time together, Fed Cup, middle-of-nowhere places on the challenger tour.

It's not easy to play one of your good friends. But I'm happy to come away with the win.

Q. You've had really good runs in majors past, semifinals in Australia, a couple Wimbledon runs. This is the home slam. Do you have any extra motivation to want to do well, given the second round has been the cap for you?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Unfortunately (laughter).

Q. Just statistics. Any extra motivation to want to do well here given it's the home slam?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Yeah, I've done well in every other event except singles. I made the finals of mixed, semis, of doubles.

But, no, I think it's both a little bit of pressure added on on yourself, wanting to do well here, but also motivation of wanting to do well for your friends and family that come out here, and also the U.S. fans, trying to push you through to the finish line.

I think the combination of both really makes this special for me being here. I kind of -- I didn't kind of, I did play my first-ever Grand Slam here. I had great success as a junior here. I won the junior US Open. I have had good matches here at the US Open, but I've had some not-so-good ones, being thrown to the wolves a little bit with the draw gods.

First time out here on Ashe, night match, No. 1 seed, against a 16-year-old me. I was totally thrown to the wolves in that moment.

Maybe one of these days it will be the other way around, where I'm the high-ranked seed on opening night one of these years.

Q. Being in New York, where your grandfather played, is it more special winning here for you at the US Open, New York itself?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I love New York. I was born here. I lived here till I was eight, nine years old. I have lots of friends and family still out here. This is one of the few Grand Slams -- the only Grand Slam my grandfather was able to come out here and watch me play. The US Open is very special for me.

Q. Did you notice the number of Americans versus Americans outside of just yourself, first round or second round? When you get to play another American, it's always tough, but how long do you think about it? When you see the draw, how long do you think about it?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Literally from the moment the draw comes out. But, you know, I think both Allie and I are older and mature enough and good enough friends to be able to say, at the end of it, we're both competitors, but we're friends at the end of the day. Allie is a great person, a great friend. I hope she can say the same about me.

But, you know, it shows that American women's tennis is doing very well. Aside from the wild cards that the USTA allocates, I think there's a lot of really good players in the top 100. It shows the depth of American women's tennis, that we are progressing through the ranks, and we're getting more and more inside 100, inside 50, and hopefully more inside 30 and so on.

Q. What were your thoughts on the Sharapova match on Monday? In general, how do you feel about the wild cards? Some folks think she shouldn't have got it, some thought she fought tooth and nail on Monday...
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I only watched the first two sets because then it got late for me. I went to sleep. Just like poor 'Foe, I was watching the first set. Man, 'Foe, you're my little brother, but I can't, I've got to go to sleep.

Wild cards are appointed by the USTA. I can't say I agree. I wish it was an American instead, selfishly, because it is a USA tournament. I know from receiving a wild card here, it can be a huge platform to kind of progress through maybe a developing junior or someone that's coming back from injury or, you know, just somebody that's on the cusp, next American out that has an opportunity to kind of help their own ranking.

Selfishly, I would have wished it was an American.

Q. You mentioned the draw gods. Is that something you truly believe in, there is a higher power outside of chance?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: Yeah, see, the WTA asks, outside the Grand Slams, to do the pulling of the draw. I'm like, No, I want no part of that because I don't want any Voodoo happening here. I'll do anything else but pull the names for the draw. I'm not doing that. I'm not a part of that life.

Q. Wake up yesterday, see the rain. You were psyched for your match yesterday. How much of a letdown was it?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I was actually happy that they called it so early, that they allowed us to all just leave around 3:30. I got a hit in. It was early enough where I could go home and put my feet up, not do much else.

You get amped up, but we all saw the radar. We all knew it was going to happen. It was going to be a washout day. The only thing that's unfortunate is you have to play back-to-back days. It's just the way it is. It's the way it happens. That's what makes good storylines for Grand Slams.

Q. How do you assess your play today? What's the major take-away you take away from the match today?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I would say my play was average overall. Over three sets, I would say first set, not so good on my end. I think Allie came out not missing much at all. I came out very much the other side of that coin. I was missing a lot.

A little bit of nerves. First-round match. Coming out here to a Grand Slam, probably always the toughest match for me to kind of be settled and to move and play and dictate the way I would like to.

Second set, I was a lot more settled into what was happening. I think I mentally calmed myself down.

Then third set, there was a lot of rollercoaster situations happening. I just was determined not to allow someone else nameless, faceless person on the other side, which is what you kind of have to turn it into, take my spot into the second round.

Q. What's the major take-away from your performance today?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I fought hard, really showed heart out there. That's all I can ask for from myself day in and day out.

Q. Question about the draw. Do you think a factor in choosing a big star like Maria was that others weren't here, Serena is not here, many of the guys weren't here? Do you think that was a factor?
COCO VANDEWEGHE: I think the guys pulling out was later, after Maria's announcement. I'm not sure the timing... Maybe Djokovic had called it earlier, and Wawrinka. It's a Grand Slam. They're going to sell tickets. People are going to show up to a Grand Slam.

I don't think one name makes one difference over ticket sales at a Grand Slam. So I think that's a little bit nonsense to say that one name's going to sell hundreds of thousands of more tickets.

For a Grand Slam to sell less tickets because, you know, one name isn't in the draw, then I think that's poor form on the Grand Slam. They need to promote themselves better. The USTA does a good job of promoting themselves through the year.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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