Coco Gauff recently complimented her childhood best friend Jamilah Snells on her fierce nail game.
Snells and Gauff have been friends since childhood; they met at a tennis academy in Florida at the age of nine and seven, respectively. The former is currently a sophomore at the University of Louisville, where she plays for the women’s tennis team while majoring in Business Management.
Snells posted a couple of pictures on her Instagram account on Thursday, February 1. The first picture shows her leaning for a shot, wearing a white tank top, black shorts, and an orange headband. The second picture is a close-up of her hand reaching for a tennis ball in mid-air, showcasing her long, sharp nails with bright red nail polish.
“🤍❤️🖤” , the post was captioned.
Gauff was quick to comment on the University of Louisville athlete’s post, writing:
“love the claws
A look at Coco Gauff’s performance at the 2024 Australian Open
Coco Gauff recorded her best performance in Melbourne this year, reaching the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open.
Gauff started her campaign with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Slovakia’s Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova in the first round. She then faced fellow American Caroline Dolehide, who pushed her to a tie-break in the first set before Gauff prevailed 7-6(2), 6-2.
In the third round, the 19-year-old met another compatriot, Alycia Parks, who had upset 32nd seed Leylah Fernandez in the previous round. Gauff defeated her in just over an hour, dropping only two games in a 6-0, 6-2 rout.
In the fourth round Gauff faced Poland’s Magdalena Frech, who had eliminated Anastasia Zakharova in a three-set thriller in her previous round. The American eventually won 6-1, 6-2 in just 63 minutes.
In the quarterfinals, Gauff met Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who had reached the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time. Kostyuk pushed Gauff to a thrilling three-setter that lasted three hours and eight minutes, eventually losing 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-2.
The 2023 US Open champion’s run came to an end in the semifinals, where she faced defending champion and second seed Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian, who had not dropped a set in the tournament, proved to be too powerful for Gauff, winning 7-6(2), 6-4 in an hour and 42 minutes.
Aryna Sabalenka went on to win her second consecutive Australian Open title, defeating China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final.
