Defending champion Coco Gauff reached the US Open last 16 after prevailing over a stubborn Ukraine opponent, Elina Svitolina, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Friday. Third-seeded Gauff was put through her severest test yet in the tournament but managed to raise her level as the game wore on.
After a tepid start to the match-where she was broken twice and lost the first set-Gauff fought back, breaking Svitolina to take the second set and dominating the decider. The 20-year-old American saved her best tennis for the final set, including a scintillating 37-shot rally which helped her land an early break.
Gauff was under no illusion about the level of competition and that she needed to switch the level of play. “I knew today was going to be a tough match, and I knew I had to be more aggressive, focus more on making less errors,” said Gauff.
That was another victory for the title defense, and she is scheduled to meet with fellow American Emma Navarro in the next match, who managed to defeat her in the fourth round at Wimbledon last month. Gauff underlined how big of an importance the game is in the head and noticed that the next match she needs to bring her A-game.
