NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time at this U.S. Open, Coco Gauff didn't double-fault in her first service game. And for the first time, she didn't get broken to begin things, either.
With her work-in-progress serve looking the best it has so far in this trip to Flushing Meadows, the No. 3-seeded Gauff turned in by far her most solid — and stress-free — performance Saturday, defeating No. 28 Magdalena Frech of Poland 6-3, 6-1 to reach the fourth round of a tournament she won in 2023.
After two difficult wins under the lights at night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff got the schedule started with an 11:30 a.m. match time. With shade covering nearly half of the blue court on a cloudless morning, there were none of the tears or struggles that marked her earlier appearances.
In both of her earlier outings, against Ajla Tomljanovic on Tuesday and Donna Vekic on Thursday, Gauff fell behind 2-0. Against Frech, the 21-year-old from Florida went up 3-0, before running into a hint of trouble: Gauff slapped a second serve into the net to double-fault and get broken, getting Frech within 3-2, and soon it was 3-all after 26 minutes.
So, essentially, they were starting over, and the next game was pivotal. Gauff led 40-love, but wound up at 40-30 after shanking a forehand that landed 10 feet out.
Thousands of fans started yelling encouragement and clapping to try to help Gauff. She heard, looked around and clutched a ball for her next serve, vigorously shaking it. Gauff stepped to the baseline and delivered a 105 mph first serve that drew an errant return. Upon watching the ball land out, she leaned forward, clenched her left fist and screamed “Come on!”
That began a set-closing three-game run and Gauff was on her way. Her serve has become a major issue, which is why she brought aboard a biomechanics expert, Gavin MacMillan, who helped Aryna Sabalenka settle her serving yips and rise to No. 1 in the WTA rankings with three major championships, including in New York a year ago.
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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