Coco Gauff's second-round victory at the U.S. Open on Wednesday night left her feeling fortunate, despite the straight-sets win. The 20-year-old, who stretched her winning streak to nine matches, acknowledged that her performance was not up to her usual standards.
“I didn't serve great at all,” Gauff said after the match, via ESPN News Services. “I got lucky. I think I only got broken once, but probably could have—should have—gotten broken a couple of more times.”
Facing Germany's Tatjana Maria, ranked 99th, Gauff had some early difficulties under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The hot and humid conditions seemed to amplify her struggles, particularly with her serve. Gauff recorded seven double faults in the first set and managed to get only 43% of her first serves in play, significantly lower than her 64% in the opening round. Despite this, she managed to save four out of five break points and won the first set 6-4.
Coco Gauff struggled with issues beyond her serve vs. Tatjana Maria
Gauff’s issues extended beyond her serve. She made 20 unforced errors compared to just 10 winners and won only nine of 17 points at the net. When she served for the first set, she double-faulted twice, giving Maria an opportunity to level the score. However, Gauff narrowly escaped, clinching the set with a cross-court forehand passing shot.
“I love Tatjana … (but) she's very annoying to play,” Gauff said. “Tonight was just an annoying match. The balls, you were able to hit winners on them, but because she's slicing it, you have to generate all the power. Sometimes it can be more physically tiring than it looks, because you have to generate literally 100% of the power every single time, compared to maybe somebody where you can just redirect.”
The second set saw a dramatic turnaround in Gauff's play. She tightened her game, delivering 15 winners with only five unforced errors, and dominated the set 6-0. Maria, who sliced nearly every shot during the match, admitted that she missed her chances in the first set, which ultimately cost her the match.
“I had my chances in the first set that I didn't take. This kind of player… if you don't take your chances, then it goes away,” Maria said.
Gauff's victory secured her a third-round matchup against 27th-seeded Elina Svitolina, a three-time major semifinalist. Despite recent early exits in other tournaments, including the Paris Olympics and Wimbledon, Gauff remains focused on defending her US Open title. She is now 22-3 in Grand Slam matches since her 2023 U.S. Open victory, the most wins by any woman in that period.
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