Gauff had been more than 15 spots away from qualifying as recently as a week ago, and appeared unlikely to reach the qualifying draw. Tournament organizers still planned to feature her on Sunday, in a kids’ day event and an exhibition match. But improbably, enough players withdrew before the draw was made — including the defending champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, who said she was unable to obtain a visa — to allow Gauff in.

The Citi Open is likely to be the last tournament Gauff plays before the United States Open, which begins in New York next month. She hopes to optimize the few remaining chances she has to play on tour this year, and to get used to her newfound fame.

“It doesn’t feel normal at all,” she said. “I’m still getting used to it. I don’t know when I’ll get used to it or if I’ll ever get used to it, but I’m super grateful for all the people that are cheering for me.”

Corey Gauff said that even as requests rolled in for his daughter, knowing that she still has room for improvement has kept him from being distracted by the deluge of interest.

“It’s easy for me to stay grounded: You’ve got to go back to looking at film, you’ve got to go back on the things you need to work on to continue to improve,” he said. “When you start thinking about the work you’ve got to do, it’s easy to be oblivious. We get a lot of phone calls with requests, but she can’t do everything.”

Many within tennis have been reaching out to Gauff, including Frances Tiafoe, 21, who was also called the “next big thing” in American tennis after success as a teenager.

“She’s doing unbelievable,” Tiafoe said. “I just DMed her and I said: ‘I know your phone is blowing up, and I know everybody in the world is going to know about this, but hey: Get used to it. You’re a superstar in the making. This is your level, and don’t be satisfied now.’”