NEW YORK – Coco Gauff overcame some choppy serves early in the second round of the U.S. Open before extending her winning streak at the site of her first Grand Slam title to nine matches with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over 99th-seeded Tatjana Maria on Wednesday night.
Gauff, a 20-year-old from Florida, had plenty of trouble in the first set under floodlights in hot and humid Arthur Ashe Stadium against Maria, a 37-year-old from Germany who made it to the semifinals of Wimbledon two years ago and slices almost every forehand and backhand shot.
Defending champion Gauff made seven double faults in this set. She hit less than half of her first serves. She had five break points but was able to save four. And other aspects of her game also had problems. She won the point on only 9 of 17 attempts to get to the net and made twice as many unforced errors (20) as Winner (10).
Her body language was often negative after a few mistakes, as it can be. Gauff looked at her guest box and raised her palms as if to say: “What’s wrong?” She rolled her eyes or put one hand on her hip, even after a wild volley that sailed several meters.
Serving for the first set, Gauff made two double faults and faced two break points that would have allowed Maria to level the score at 5-5. But Maria missed a forehand shot on the first shot and Gauff hit a cross-court forehand passing shot on the second shot to end the match.
The second set was a completely different story.
Gauff hit 15 winners, made just five unforced errors – two of which were double faults – and hit 10 of 11 shots.
Coco Gauff of the United States reacts against Tatjana Maria of Germany during a second round match of the U.S. Open in tennis, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, in New York. Photo credit: AP/Frank Franklin II
