Coco Gauff reached the second week of the US Open for a fifth straight year on Saturday, getting back in the New York groove to beat Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 6-3 6-4 in the third round.
Gauff’s often-maligned serve undermined some of her play but the fourth seed refused to become rattled in front of the home fans as she sent over 15 winners. She next plays either fellow American Iva Jovic or the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala.
“Today was mainly defence, honestly, in the first set,” said 22-year-old Gauff. “Once I got my rhythm I was able to swing through a little more.”
Fourth seed Gauff dropped her serve in the third game but
was controlling the tempo by the sixth, where she levelled the
affair with a series of deep backhand strikes.
“Once I was down that break I just told myself I need to
accelerate through my shots,” said Gauff, who showed terrific
variety in a 21-shot rally to break Bucsa again in the eighth.
“I’m just happy with how I fought through, even when I
wasn’t playing my best.”
Gauff never let Bucsa get a hold of the momentum in
the second set, where she did some of her best work from the
baseline and put up fewer unforced errors.
She got the critical break in the ninth game with a terrific
backhand winner and was smooth as butter in her pale yellow kit
as she tapped home the winning touch from the net.
Source: Khaleej Times