CoCo Vandeweghe’s address is in California but her heart and history are still in New York, where her hometown U.S. Open crowd spurred her to a 7-6 (6), 6-2 second-round win over Ons Jabeur.
Vandeweghe — a diehard Knick fan descended from grandpa Ernie and uncle Kiki — soaked up the cheers at Thursday night. The 20th seed fought her way to her first-ever win in Arthur Ashe Stadium and first third-round appearance at Flushing Meadows.
“To be out there on Ashe and feel the energy, the vibe of it, was a lot of fun. I had fun out there playing, competing. I think it definitely showed to everyone,’’ Vandeweghe said. “It’s hard to beat a New York crowd when they’re for you. It’s a lot to go against. That’s what I was trying to make happen out there. I felt like I did.”
After reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals and the Australian Open semis, Vandeweghe is in the midst of a career-best season. She overcame not only the unorthodox Tunisian’s variety of slicing backhands and tricky drop shots, but the disappointment of blowing triple set point and getting taken into a tiebreaker.
“The only thing I did after not getting that was just kind of visualize where I was going to hit the first serve, where I wanted to hit it,’’ Vandeweghe said. “It’s like lining up for a free throw. You visualize your free throw, go through your routine, you shoot it, because you can control all of that. It’s the same with a serve.”
It was a fitting analogy for Vandeweghe, 25, whose grandfather played his entire six-year NBA career with the Knicks. Her uncle played three seasons in the Garden and served as both general manager and interim coach of the Nets.
“[I lived here for] 10 years. I was born in New York City and lived in Long Island, and went to California with my mom,’’ Vandeweghe said in a TV interview. “I feel like I got both ends of the spectrum. I’ve got an edge while I’m competing, but off the court I’m chill and relaxed.”
The younger Vandeweghe, a longtime Knicks fan who once ripped Carmelo Anthony as soft, showed that edge against Jabeur. She fended off a pair of Jabeur set points in the tiebreaker and took a 7-6 lead. On set point, Jabeur gaffed and sent her forehand return into the net.
Vandeweghe — closing her eyes and appearing to meditate between sets — settled in and broke Jabeur in the first game of the second set, then again for a 5-2 lead. She spurred the crowd’s cheers on before closing out the win and a date against No. 10 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.
Now, about fixing her hometown Knicks …
“I’ll be more excited when games are won. I’ll leave it to when the actual season starts to save my excitement,’’ said Vandeweghe, adding on court, “I’m still a New York Knicks fan, so that’s all that matters.”
