Coco Gauff came back from a set down to defeat Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round of the U.S. Open on Friday, continuing her defense of her first Grand Slam title.
The third-seeded Gauff struggled in the first set at Arthur Ashe Stadium, making several mistakes and losing her last 11 points to the 27th-seeded Svitolina, a three-time major semifinalist.
“She’s a fighter,” Gauff remarked regarding Svitolina. “I knew I had to play my best.”
Gauff rebounded to win nine out of eleven games in a crucial stretch and found success despite dropping the opening set, a pattern she followed during her 2023 U.S. Open title run, including in her victory against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Gauff credited her success to being more aggressive with her forehand and minimizing errors on her backhand, noting, “I tried to be more aggressive on my forehand side and tried to make less errors on the backhand.”
This victory broke a five-match losing streak for Gauff against top 50 opponents and could signal a turning point for her after a recent slump where she won just five of her last nine matches. This is a stark contrast to last year when she boasted an 18-1 record, including 12 consecutive wins that led her to two titles and the U.S. Open championship.
Next Sunday, Gauff will compete for a place in the quarterfinals against the winner of the match between No. 13 Emma Navarro and No. 19 Marta Kostyuk.
The turning point of Friday’s match came after 1 hour and 10 minutes, when Gauff broke to lead 4-2 in the second set, energizing the crowd with a celebratory yell and a raised fist. She closed the second set with a 94 mph ace, showcasing her determination.
In the third set, with UConn women’s basketball stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd in attendance, Gauff took an early lead of 2-0 after a long rally that ended with Svitolina sending a backhand wide. She extended her lead to 5-1 before a minor hiccup when she served for the match at 5-2, where she faced three match points and got broken. However, Gauff quickly regained her composure to break Svitolina back and sealed the match.