Coco Gauff made a remarkable comeback after dropping the first set, defeating Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round of the U.S. Open on Friday. This victory allows the 20-year-old American to continue her defense of her first Grand Slam title.
Seeded third, Gauff struggled with errors in the initial set at Arthur Ashe Stadium, losing the final 11 points against Svitolina, the 27th seed and a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist.
“She’s a fighter,” Gauff noted. “I knew I had to play my best.”
Gauff turned the match around by winning nine of the next 11 games and overcame the disadvantage of losing the opening set, a scenario she faced three times on her way to the 2023 U.S. Open trophy, including in the final against Aryna Sabalenka.
“I tried to be more aggressive on my forehand side,” Gauff explained. “and tried to make fewer errors on the backhand.”
This victory ends a five-match losing streak for Gauff against players ranked in the top 50 and may be just what she needs to overcome a recent downturn during which she won only five of her last nine matches.
This is a stark contrast to last year, when Gauff triumphed in 18 of 19 matches, including a streak of 12 wins, culminating in her U.S. Open championship that made her the first American teenager to win at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.
On Sunday, Gauff will compete for a spot in the quarterfinals against the winner of the later match between No. 13 Emma Navarro of the U.S. — who previously defeated Gauff in the fourth round of Wimbledon — and No. 19 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine.
The turning point for Gauff came after 1 hour and 10 minutes of play, when she broke to take a 4-2 lead in the second set with a powerful cross-court forehand winner. She celebrated with a loud “Come on!” and encouraged the crowd to cheer louder.
Gauff soon secured the second set, closing it with a 94 mph ace while pumping her fist and shouting in triumph.
In the third set, with UConn women’s basketball stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd cheering her on from the stands, Gauff quickly broke Svitolina and held her lead at 2-0, highlighted by a long rally that ended when Svitolina sent a backhand wide.
Gauff extended her lead to 5-1, although she encountered a brief challenge when serving for the match at 5-2, where she squandered three match points and was broken. However, Gauff quickly regained control by breaking back to seal the match.