(August 28, 2024) Defending champion Coco Gauff overcame some poor first set serving to dominate No. 99 Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-0 to reach the third round to the US Open.
“It was a tricky match,” said the No. 3 seed. “I mean, she’s not someone that sometimes you play and you feel great after. Yeah, but overall I thought I did well the first set. I mean, it was close. I got out of those service games.
“Obviously could serve better, but off the ground and at the net there were some errors, but I think every time it was the right decision to make. It was just about execution.”
Gauff hit seven double faults and hit below fifty percent of her first serves in the first set.
Gauff admitted that after her match she went to the practice court: ” I just hit serves. Obviously I didn’t serve great at all. I got lucky. I think I only got broken once, but probably could have, should have gotten broken a couple of more times. So I just hit serves.
“Off the ground I felt fine. I felt like I was playing well off the ground for the most part. Obviously in the first set I probably had more errors. But, you know, when you play against her, you just have to expect to miss sometimes because you also don’t want to just get into a pushing rally. So, yeah, I just hit more serves.
“How often? I really only do it when I don’t feel great after a match. Yeah, like my first round, even though it was a quick match, I didn’t go back out after because I felt great after. Sometimes I just like to leave with that feeling, but today I didn’t feel great after.
“But I knew literally before the match I was, like, if I win, I’m going to go back and practice again after playing her. I knew that before the match that I was going to do that probably or want to do that.”
Up next for the 20-year-old will be 27th seed Elina Svitolina.
“She’s obviously a difficult opponent” Gauff said. “She’s a veteran player. I played her earlier in Auckland, and that was a tough, tough match. I know I’ll have to bring my best tennis to win against her.”
“I think she’s a good all-court player. She can do pretty much everything. She’s really solid from the back. When I played her in Auckland, we had a lot of physical points.
“Yeah, I think the challenge will be just finding the balance between being aggressive and not letting her dictate, but also not making too many errors. She’s a tough opponent, and you know, regardless of whatever form she’s in, I think she’s always going to be tough to beat.”
Defending champion Novak Djokovic played the second match in the night session on Wednesday against fellow Serb Laslo Djere. Unfortunately, Djere was forced to retire with Djokovic leading 6-4, 6-4, 1-0.
“I mean, I haven’t really been serving well the first two matches here, so I’m still kind of trying to find that rhythm and tempo on the serve,” Djokovic said in his news conference.
“If you don’t have a good percentage of first serves in, you have to work for your points. Particularly against a player like Djere, who is really good from baseline from both ends, forehand and backhand. Just very solid player. Likes to attack, but he is also comfortable defending.
“Last year I remember we had a five-setter. So I knew coming into the match that if I don’t serve well, which was the case, I’m going to have to really grind and work for my points a lot. That’s what I guess caused the two sets to be played over two hours.
“You know, in the end not the kind of finish that we players or crowd wants to see, but I think it’s probably due to that physical battle that we had in the opening two sets.
“All in all, of course, I have to be happy with the win and happy that in important moments I managed to play one ball more than him over the net, I guess find the right shots or anticipate well as I did in the set point in the second set.
“I was lucky that he missed that forehand. It was quite easy forehand. But, you know, that’s tennis when you are fighting and playing long rallies and the pressure mounts when you have that important point that you have to play the shots that normally nine out of ten you wouldn’t miss, and then you miss.
“Yeah, the matches are only going to get tougher from here. I know that, but I’m fine. I’ll find my way, as I have done many times in my career.”
