With considerable effort, Coco Gauff advances further. The 21-year-old American athlete progressed to the penultimate phase of the U.S. Open following a determined second-phase triumph over Donna Vekić.
Gauff secured the victory in successive sets, 7-6 (5), 6-2. However, the initial set posed a near-catastrophic challenge for the young American, as Gauff allowed Vekić to unsettle her.
After Vekić seized an early 2-0 advantage, Gauff initiated a comeback, claiming the subsequent four games consecutively. However, Vekić then diminished Gauff’s momentum. Following Vekić’s break of Gauff on a 4-4 stalemate, Gauff retreated to the bench, concealing her face with a towel and appearing to succumb to tears.
Nonetheless, Gauff persevered, ultimately compelling a tiebreak and overcoming Vekić by a slight margin.
In the subsequent set, Gauff exhibited markedly enhanced form: committing fewer errors, delivering more consistent serves, and surpassing Vekić in nearly every aspect. Her 6-2 second set served as a demonstration of Gauff’s resilience and prowess as she clinched the win to proceed further.
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Despite being unseeded, Vekić poses a formidable challenge: The 29-year-old Croatian reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2024, and secured the silver distinction at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Gauff, conversely, holds the No. 3 seed in the competition, which she conquered just two years prior.
Following the contest, Gauff displayed emotion once more while expressing gratitude to the spectators for their backing.
“Frankly, the contest presented significant difficulties for me today, but I express satisfaction in managing to navigate it,” Gauff conveyed. “Recent weeks have presented challenges, and I am simply delighted to return to this court. Your presence imparts immense joy to me.”
“I’ve encountered challenging instances on this very court, and your support consistently pulls me through,” she elaborated. “The initial set presented significant obstacles, yet your cheers sustained me.”
Gauff disclosed a momentary lapse in awareness towards the conclusion of the initial set, recalling minimal details. However, between sets, she availed herself of a respite for recalibration; she visited the restroom, where she “splashed water on [her] face” and experienced prompt improvement.
The arduous victory marked Gauff’s second consecutive triumph in the tournament: Gauff bested Australia’s Ajla Tomlijanović in three sets on Tuesday, surmounting difficulties with her serve and a demanding second set to achieve the 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 result.
Gauff is additionally contending with a modification in coaching personnel, having dismissed a member of her coaching team during the preceding week. As a replacement, Gauff enlisted Gavin MacMillan, a specialist recognized for assisting Aryna Sabalenka in refining her serve.
Certain struggles, encompassing both the service game and mental resilience, remained apparent on Thursday. Gauff incurred eight double faults, with seven transpiring within the initial set. She failed to convert approximately 30% of her initial serves overall, albeit the figure improved during the second set (23%) as she regained self-assurance.
In general, Gauff has faced certain challenges since her second Grand Slam title at the 2025 French Open in June. She experienced an unexpected first-round loss at Wimbledon during the preceding month, subsequently succumbing in the Round of 16 at the Canadian Open and in the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Open. The Cincinnati Open setback may have been particularly disheartening: Gauff, who excels on the hardcourt, prevailed at the event in 2023 immediately preceding her US Open victory.
She will currently attempt to sustain that achievement in the upcoming phase. Gauff is slated to confront Poland’s Magdalena Fręch on Saturday as her third-phase encounter.
