Coco Gauff, the US Open champion, pulled off a remarkable comeback at the China Open. She defeated Petra Martic in a thrilling three-set match, securing her spot in the Round of 16 with her 14th consecutive victory.
Despite facing a tough challenge, Gauff fought back after Martic served for the win in the final set. Gauff’s mental strength played a crucial role in her 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(2) win. She highlighted the difficulty of holding her serve, especially against Martic’s aggressive returns.
“Maintaining my serve was a real challenge today,” Gauff commented. “I had a strong start with my serves in the first set, but she became more aggressive with her returns, which made me question my choices.
“However, I’m content with my performance today; it was a mental triumph, and I’m pleased to have persevered.”
Coco CLUTCH 😤@CocoGauff | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/eAxOfIboKw
— wta (@WTA) October 3, 2023
Currently ranked World No. 3, Gauff will face either Veronika Kudermetova or Lesia Tsurenko in the next round. Her ability to handle pressure and deliver outstanding performances was on full display.
The match echoed their previous encounter in 2021 Adelaide, where Gauff also triumphed in three sets. Tuesday’s duel lasted 3 hours and 1 minute, with both players displaying remarkable court coverage and resilience.
In the opening set, Gauff secured an early break point, setting the tone for the match. The second set saw Martic mount a comeback, leading to seven breaks of serve and her victory in the set.
In the final set, Martic seemed to have the upper hand, but Gauff’s determination shone through as she fought back to level the score at 5-5. Gauff’s mental resilience was evident in the tiebreak, where she dominated to seal the win.
Gauff endured an uncertain duration during a challenging point, emphasizing her mental resilience and determination to overcome adversity.
“I don’t know how long the longest point was, but I was just telling myself to keep suffering, it will be over in a couple seconds or maybe more than a couple seconds,” Gauff said. That’s just like a mental thing.”
In another match, No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula also staged a comeback, winning 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-1 against Anna Blinkova. Pegula’s relentless return pressure and dominance in the second and third sets allowed her to overcome a slow start.
Both Gauff and Pegula’s performances demonstrated their mental toughness and ability to thrive under pressure, setting the stage for exciting matchups in the next rounds of the China Open.
Gauff in Beijing, ranking, and results in 2023
WWWLLWLWWL Currently the world no.3 (career-high), Coco owns a compiled 47-13 match record in 2023. The American is now competing in Beijing where she beat the world no.20 Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5 6-3 and the world no.48 Petra Martic 7-5 5-7 7-62.
Coco Gauff will face the world no.16 Veronika Kudermetova in the 3rd round. The head to head is 1-1.
Gauff has won 4 titles in 2023 in Auckland, Washington, Cincinnati and U.S. Open.
Gauff won 6 titles in her career: 4 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts and 1 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
Coco Gauff |
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