'I can serve higher': Gauff soars after uneven begin

NEW YORK — Coco Gauff overcame some uneven serving early within the second spherical of the US Open earlier than stretching her profitable streak to 9 matches on the web site of her first Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over 99th-ranked Tatjana Maria on Wednesday night time.

“I can serve higher,” Gauff stated. “That first set would have been rather a lot simpler.”

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

“At first, final week, I felt extra stress,” Gauff stated about coming again to Flushing Meadows because the defending champion, talking throughout an on-court interview carried out by 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios. “However now, stepping on the courtroom, I actually don’t have anything to lose … and I’ve the potential to do extra, whether or not it occurs this 12 months or sooner or later.”

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, however saved 4. And issues arose in different facets 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 ceaselessly adverse as may be after a number of the errors. Gauff would take 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 ft lengthy.

When Gauff served for the opening set, she double-faulted twice and confronted a pair of break factors that will 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 web.

“I ought to have completed that extra within the first,” the No. 3-seeded Gauff stated about her success when transferring ahead.

On Friday, she’ll tackle Twenty seventh-seeded Elina Svitolina, a three-time main semifinalist who was a 6-1, 6-2 winner towards Anhelina Kalinina, for a berth within the fourth spherical.

Gauff arrived in New York off a collection 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 troublesome few weeks,” Gauff stated.

Gauff’s 9 double faults Wednesday have been three greater than she had in her opening-round match towards Varvara Gracheva. She put solely 43% of her first serves in play Wednesday, method 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 girls’s champion to win two bagel units in her first two matches since Serena Williams in 2013 (received title).

Gauff additionally improved to 22-3 in majors because the 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.