Australian Open: Coco Gauff fights her way to third round

|

The American defeated her fellow American Caroline Dolehide in a close encounter

"I wasn't nervous today. I was just trying to play good tennis," Gauff said after the win. — AFP

Fourth seed Coco Gauff fought her way into the third round of the 2024 Australian Open with a close win over her fellow American Caroline Dolehide 7-6(2), 6-2 at the Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne, on Wednesday.

Gauff seemed to have things under control as she took a 4-1 lead in the first set, but Dolehide, displaying tenacity, resisted and was rewarded for her aggressive play when she managed to break back.

Both players then held their serves comfortably until they reached 5-5. At this point, Gauff had a somewhat untidy service game, giving her compatriot the chance to serve for the set.

This setback acted as a catalyst for Gauff, who promptly broke back, leading to a tie-break. In the tie-break, she swiftly secured a 4-1 advantage with a powerful forehand winner.

She didn’t have much trouble in the second as the eight-game clash was easily clinched by the teenager.

"I wasn't nervous today. I was just trying to play good tennis," Gauff said on the court.

"If you give her something short, she's going to punish you for it. I think if I could go back, I would try and play deeper and more heavy, like I did in the second [set]."

She will now take on Alycia Parks, another American, who stunned former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez 7-5, 6-4 to make her place in the third round at a major for the first time.

Earlier, Russian 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva registered a stunning 6-0 6-2 win over Ons Jabeur in the Australian Open second round on Wednesday.

The defeat meant that the sixth seed's bid to become the first Arab and African woman to secure a Grand Slam title suffered a setback.

Andreeva was in tears 12 months ago after losing the girls' final but was over the moon on her return to Rod Laver arena as she bagged her first top-10 win.

Comments

مضمون کا ماخذ:میگا ملینز کا جیک پاٹ
سائٹ کا نقشہ