Gauff Advances to Second Round, Set to Clash with Vekic

NEW YORK: Coco Gauff, a former US Open champion, commenced her latest campaign with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 triumph over Ajla Tomljanovic, an unseeded player, in the opening round at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old American competitor entered the tournament following significant adjustments to her coaching staff. Just prior to the competition, Matt Daly was appointed as her new coach, and she also partnered with biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan. MacMillan is focused on resolving persistent serving issues that have impacted Gauff since her early career.

Despite conceding her initial service game, Gauff quickly regained composure. A powerful ace combined with a crucial late break allowed her to secure the first set 6-4, capitalizing on errors made by Tomljanovic during critical junctures.

However, the second set evolved into a fierce contest. Tomljanovic elevated her performance, and Gauff missed several opportunities, ultimately losing the tiebreak 7-2.

The deciding set was equally intense. While serving for the match at 5-4, Gauff committed two consecutive double-faults, creating an opening for her adversary.

Demonstrating resilience, she executed an immediate break and secured the match 7-5 with a remarkable backhand winner that garnered enthusiastic applause from the spectators.

Following the match, Gauff admitted that her performance was not her best.

“There were opportunities to win in straight sets, but it was a challenge. I felt she was retrieving many balls, and I was attempting to push her back, but she maintained her position on the baseline. It wasn’t ideal, but I am pleased to progress to the next round,” she stated.

After experiencing disappointing early eliminations at Wimbledon and in preparatory events in Canada and Cincinnati, Gauff recently descended from world number two to number three in the rankings.

In the subsequent round, she is scheduled to compete against Croatian Donna Vekic, aiming to build momentum in New York.