Coco Gauff’s US Open title defense began with a scare Tuesday night, but the third seed dug deep to outlast Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 in nearly three hours on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Gauff, the 2023 champion, entered the tournament under the spotlight for her serving woes. Her 320 double faults this year were the most on the women’s tour and prompted her to add biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan to her coaching team just before New York. While the problems persisted — she committed 10 double faults and was broken six times. The 21-year-old showed incredible resilience to survive.
“Yeah, it was a tough match,” Gauff said in her on-court interview. “I had chances for it to be straight sets. Ajla was tough. It wasn’t the best, but I’m happy to get through to the next round. I’m trying, but it’s an improvement from last week in Cincy.”
Tomljanovic, ranked No. 79, started quickly by taking three of the first four games as Gauff looked tentative. But the American steadied herself, reeling off five of the next six to claim the first set. Though Gauff twice led by a break in the second, Tomljanovic forced a tiebreak and dominated it to level the match.
The decider delivered more swings. Gauff built a 5-3 lead but double-faulted twice when serving for the match, allowing Tomljanovic to draw level. The Floridian immediately broke back, however, and sealed victory with a trademark backhand pass down the line.
What stood out beyond the serving issues was Gauff’s all-court game. She won 12 of 15 points at the net, mixing in looping forehands with heavier topspin for margin, and producing highlight shots including an athletic backhand overhead and a second-serve ace.
For Gauff, it marked a bounce-back from her first-round exit at Wimbledon in July, following her French Open triumph in June. The win also extended her record to 21-4 in Grand Slam openers and 21 consecutive victories against opponents ranked outside the Top 50 at majors. With a deep run in New York and some help from current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff also has the chance to rise to that position for the first time.
Next, Gauff will face Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the second round.
