Gauff & McNally feature in strong Linz qualies draw

American teenagers Cori “Coco” Gauff and Caty McNally will return to the court on Sunday for the first time since the US Open when they begin their campaigns to qualify at the WTA event in Linz, Austria.

The 17-year-old McNally, seeded eighth in the qualies draw, kicks off the tournament in the first match on Centre Court with wild card Anna-Lena Friedsam. Gauff, the No. 9 seed, is slated to compete much later in the day against Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova. Fielding a strong qualifying lineup for an International-level tournament, Linz sports four players ranked inside the Top 100, led by top seed Misaki Doi, the world No. 74, and No. 2 seed Laura Siegemund, the current No. 78.

Just over a month ago at Flushing Meadows, McNally and Gauff showed U.S. fans a strong glimpse into its future tennis prospects. McNally took the opening set of her second-round match versus Serena Williams and Gauff advanced to the third round, where she and then-world No. 1 Naomi Osaka shared a heart-felt dual interview on court after Osaka advanced.

The pair of teens also starred on the doubles court, packing 14,000 seats in Louis Armstrong Stadium and winning two matches. Nicknamed “Team McCoco”, it would be no surprise to see the two join forces in the Linz doubles draw, which is yet to be released. This week, McNally stands at No. 109 in the rankings, with Gauff just two spots behind her good friend at No. 111.

World No. 8 Kiki Bertens accepted a wild card and will be the top seed in the main draw.