WASHINGTON, D.C., USA -- A deep run at the Citi Open was not to be for 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff, who fell in the first round to experienced Kazakh Zarina Diyas in straight sets on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, the rising American came through the event having qualified for the main draw and thrilled a number of new fans on home soil, and is still looking forward to progressing in the doubles draw with fellow teenager Caty McNally.

"Every loss, there’s something I learn from that, so I learned something about myself," Gauff said during her post-match press conference. "Looking back, a few days from now, I think I’ll learn a lot. Obviously right now, I feel a little bit disappointed."

"I’m really happy for the support that I’ve gotten here," Gauff added. "It was a sad way to finish the singles run, but I’m excited to play doubles."

Her singles match and Monday's first-round doubles match, where she and McNally defeated Diyas and Zhu Lin, were on the John Harris Court, the second-largest court on the grounds, and both days, spectators packed the stands to support the teen, who had an incredible run to the fourth round of Wimbledon as a qualifier last month.

"Honestly, I knew that I would get a little more support, but I didn’t think it would be as much," Gauff admitted. "After Wimbledon, a couple of weeks have gone by, and I thought it would settle down a little bit. People were excited, but I guess people are still excited!"

Gauff said that the court "was packed, and it was pretty loud, so it felt like I was on a bigger court than what I appeared to be. I think that helped a lot. Honestly, the court’s the same size, the lines are the same, so whether there’s only a couple benches, or full-on stands, I think that I’m gonna play my best tennis at the moment, regardless."

"Obviously, right before the point starts, I kind of focus on the point, but I hear them, and I appreciate it," Gauff added. "I actually like playing in front of crowds, and it was packed today, and I’m glad people came out to support me."

Gauff will continue to work with 17-year-old McNally in the doubles draw, and the two of them, along with 17-year-old wild card Hailey Baptiste spur each other on as the three American teenagers give their full effort at the Citi Open. Baptiste is playing No.2 seed Madison Keys in the first round of singles, while McNally faces Zhu Lin in the opening round.

"Caty and I are playing doubles [together] in this tournament, and we’re rooting for each other," said Gauff. "Hailey, I’ve known since I was maybe 11 or 12, and I’m honestly pretty excited. I hope that she wins, and I hope the best for her."

"My parents and her parents are close, Hailey and I are close, we talk all the time," Gauff explained. "I’m excited that they were able to give her the wild card and I hope that she plays her best tennis tonight. I’m going to be watching her after this [press conference] is over!"

Gauff plans to train and pick up some practice matches before her next scheduled target: the US Open.

"Going forward to the US Open, I think I’m going to work on being more aggressive and trusting myself a little bit more," said Gauff. "I think I second-guessed myself too much on the court. That also comes with playing more matches, so I think I’m going to try to get in some practice matches before the US Open, and honestly we’ll see what happens from there."

"I’m happy to be given this opportunity to play in front of a big crowd and play in my home country," Gauff told the media. "I hope that at the US Open, I can make a good result there, and meet a lot of the new supporters that I have too."