Celebrated by Coco Gauff Australian Open Victory over Belinda Bencic with a nod to TikTok as the popular app becomes unavailable to Americans back home.
Gauff wrote on the camera lens “RIP TikTok USA” with a broken heart after defeating Bencic 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the quarter-finals of the first Grand Slam event of the season. Gauff had more than 750,000 followers before cutting off the app.
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Coco Gauff writes “RIP Tik Tok USA” after her win over Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Sunday, January 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
“I couldn't reach him after the game. I honestly thought I would be able to get away with it because I was in Australia,” she told reporters after the match on ESPN. “I hope he comes back… It's really sad. I've been using the app since it was called Musical.ly.
“I love TikTok. It's like an escape. I honestly do it before games. I think it will force me to read books more — maybe I'll be a more productive human being. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.”
TikTok is officially unavailable to Americans Users late on Saturday night. Anyone with the app received a message saying: “Sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable.
“A law has been passed banning TikTok in the United States, and unfortunately, this means that you cannot use TikTok at this time.
Coco Gauff returns a shot from Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Sunday, January 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to bring back TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
On the eve of his inauguration… President-elect Trump He wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday that he would sign an executive order to extend the time in which the ban goes into effect.
“I'm asking companies not to allow TikTok to remain dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the ban goes into effect, so we can strike a deal to protect our national security,” he wrote. . “The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped prevent TikTok from going dark prior to my order.
“Americans deserve to see our exciting inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations.”
The TikTok logo appears on a phone in San Francisco, January 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Trump added that he wants the United States to have “50% ownership in a joint venture.”
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