Coco Gauff somehow found a way to double-fault herself to another narrow Canadian Open victory, rallying back from behind to top Russia's Veronika Kudermetova in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. Gauff's performance followed a second round that featured 14 double-faults, which she also managed to pull out over fellow American Danielle Collins. As for the third-round matchup, Gauff is choosing to take a more optimistic route.
“I'm sure everyone can read my body language,” Gauff joked. “So I don't think I'm going to be that nice to myself. Mentally, I'm very proud of myself. There are obviously parts of my games I have to work on, and one of those is the serve.”
Gauff didn't mince any words when discussing the flaws in her game and how they were affecting her mentally during the contest.
“It was a tough match. I thought I did well mentally, especially on the return,” Gauff admitted. “I was playing an opponent that served really well. Obviously, I would like to serve better on my end, but overall, just happy to get through.”
Gauff kept her eyes on the silver lining, though, pointing out how she was still able to pull off the victory despite all her struggles.
“The fact that I'm winning these matches not feeling my best is something to be proud of. I only can look forward to the future when I am feeling my best,” Gauff added in a post-match interview. “Hopefully, it's a bit easier.”
“It does give positives that I am winning these matches, having literally one part of my game on a crutch,” she said directly. “If I can stand on both feet, then I can only imagine that it will be a lot more straightforward and a lot easier for me.”
The 21-year-old, who registered her 10th career match win at the Canadian Open, came back from a one-set deficit after giving up a first-set lead to eventually top Kudermetova. Gauff went on to detail how she was able to pull off such a quick turnaround.
“I just think I got really upset with myself, and I was just like, ‘You know, just try to hit the ball hard and deep in the court,'” Gauff reflected. “Eventually, I was able to turn that anger into something more positive.”
