Coco Gauff advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open after overcoming early challenges in her match against Tatjana Maria, winning 6-4, 6-0 on Wednesday night. This victory marks Gauff’s ninth consecutive win at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she previously clinched her first Grand Slam title.
The 20-year-old from Florida struggled with her serve during the first set, recording seven double faults and managing to land less than half of her first serves against the 37-year-old German competitor. Gauff faced five break points, saving four of them, but faced difficulties in other areas of her game as well. She only won 9 of 17 points at the net and had double the number of unforced errors (20) compared to winners (10).
Her visible frustration during the match included looking towards her guest box with her palms up and rolling her eyes after making errors. When serving for the first set, Gauff double-faulted twice and encountered two break points. However, she fended off the threats, with Maria missing a crucial forehand and Gauff responding with a successful passing shot.
The second set saw a turnaround in Gauff’s performance, where she displayed confidence with 15 winners and only five unforced errors, two of which were double faults, and excelled at the net with a success rate of 10 out of 11 attempts.