Coco Gauff said the presence of Olympic gymnastics legend Simone Biles at courtside helped her through the worst experience of her tennis career as she battled to a tearful US Open victory over Donna Vekic on Thursday.

Seven-time Olympic gold medallist Biles was among the crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium as third seed Gauff suffered an error-strewn public unravelling that left her sobbing into her towel at one point in a calamitous first set.

But the 21-year-old American

Gauff later revealed that the sight of Biles, who withdrew from several events at the Tokyo Olympics to prioritise her mental health, before making a triumphant comeback at last year's Paris Games, had inspired her.

"I mean she's the greatest, one of the greatest athletes," Gauff said after her victory.

"It's her and

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