Coco Gauff overcomes early serve woes in 2nd-round US Open win

NEW YORK — After serving poorly for one set throughout a US Open victory, Coco Gauff headed to a observe court docket for some additional work on that stroke Wednesday evening.

She realized her tosses have been too far in entrance of her and too low, so even when she beat 99th-ranked Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-0 to achieve the third spherical, Gauff wished to repair the problem.

“I did not serve nice in any respect,” Gauff stated after stretching her profitable streak to 9 matches on the web site of her first Grand Slam title a yr in the past. “I obtained fortunate. I feel I solely obtained damaged as soon as, however in all probability may have — ought to have — gotten damaged a few extra instances.”

Gauff, a 20-year-old from Florida, had all kinds of bother on the outset beneath the lights at a scorching and muggy Arthur Ashe Stadium in opposition to Maria, a 37-year-old from Germany who made it to the Wimbledon semifinals two years in the past and was hitting slices on almost each forehand and backhand.

“I like Tatjana … [but] she’s very annoying to play,” Gauff stated. “Tonight was simply an annoying match. The balls, you have been in a position to hit winners on them, however as a result of she’s slicing it, it’s important to generate all the ability. Typically it may be extra bodily tiring than it appears, as a result of it’s important to generate actually 100% of the ability each single time, in comparison with perhaps someone the place you may simply redirect.”

There have been seven double-faults for Gauff within the preliminary set. She put in fewer than half of her first serves. She confronted 5 break factors, saving 4. Issues arose in different points of her play, too, together with profitable the purpose on simply 9 of 17 journeys to the online, and a complete of twice as many unforced errors, 20, as winners, 10.

Her physique language was incessantly damaging as might be after among the errors. Gauff would have a look at her visitor field and put her palms up as if to say, “What’s going on?” She would roll her eyes or put a hand on a hip, together with after one wild swinging volley that sailed a number of toes lengthy.

When the No. 3-seeded Gauff served for the opening set, she double-faulted twice and confronted a pair of break factors that might have allowed Maria to get the rating to 5-all. However Maria missed a forehand on the primary, and Gauff struck a cross-court forehand passing shot on the second, then completed off the sport.

The second set was a totally totally different story.

Gauff put collectively 15 winners to merely 5 unforced errors — two of which have been double-faults — and went 10 for 11 on the internet.

“She’s a mentally actually robust participant,” stated Maria, whose two daughters, ages 10 and three, sat within the stands. “She has numerous energy. I knew that I had my possibilities in the present day, as a result of I do know that my sport type shouldn’t be one she prefers. I had my possibilities within the first set that I did not take. This type of participant … if you happen to do not take your possibilities, then it goes away. That is what occurred in the present day.”

On Friday, Gauff will tackle Twenty seventh-seeded Elina Svitolina, a three-time main semifinalist who was a 6-1, 6-2 winner in opposition to Anhelina Kalinina, for a berth within the fourth spherical.

Gauff arrived in New York off a sequence of early exits elsewhere. That included two consecutive losses at hard-court tuneup occasions this month, which adopted eliminations within the fourth spherical at Wimbledon and the third spherical of the Paris Olympics, each in July.

“It has been a tricky few weeks,” Gauff stated.

Gauff’s 9 double faults Wednesday have been three greater than she had in her opening-round match in opposition to Varvara Gracheva. She put solely 43% of her first serves in play Wednesday, means down from the 64% mark in her opening match.

Regardless of the serve troubles, Gauff closed out each her first- and second-round matches with a 6-0 set. She is the primary defending US Open ladies’s champion to win two bagel units in her first two matches since Serena Williams in 2013 (gained title).

Gauff additionally improved to 22-3 in majors for the reason that begin of her 2023 US Open title run. That is essentially the most main wins by any girl in that span.

ESPN Stats & Info and The Related Press contributed to this report.