Gauff Battles Past Tomljanovic to Reach US Open Second Round
NEW YORK – Coco Gauff overcame a rollercoaster performance to defeat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 7-5 in a grueling first-round clash that stretched to two hours and 57 minutes at the US Open on Tuesday.
The 2023 US Open champion struggled with errors throughout the match, finishing with 59 unforced mistakes and 10 double faults. Despite being broken six times, the 21-year-old showed resilience to edge past her Australian opponent, who herself committed 56 unforced errors and dropped serve eight times.
“It was a tough match. Ajla was tough; she was getting so many balls back,” Gauff admitted afterward. “It wasn’t the best, but I’m happy to get through to the next round.”
The American recently revamped her coaching team, replacing Matt Daly with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan in hopes of correcting her shaky serve. “I know when I did this, I was not going to maybe serve the best,” Gauff said. “I just felt like I didn’t want to waste any more time. Hopefully, this time next year I’ll be serving much better.”
Acknowledging her mental struggles on court, Gauff added, “Honestly, it’s been really tough, mentally exhausting. But I’m trying. It wasn’t the best today, but it was an improvement on last week in Cincinnati.”
With the hard-fought victory behind her, Gauff now prepares to face Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the second round.
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