Coco Gauff battles through US Open opener despite serving struggles
Coco Gauff scraped through to the second round of the US Open but once again had issues with her serve against Ajla Tomljanovic.
Listen to this article
The French Open champion avoided a repeat of her first-round Wimbledon exit, but was taken to three sets by the world No. 84, hitting 10 double faults in a 6-4 6-7 (2) 7-5 victory.
Gauff's serving problems remain despite changes to her coaching team, which included the addition of biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan on the eve of the tournament to fix the issue.
The third seed led 4-2 in the second set before losing three games in a row. she then served for the match at 5-4 in the decider, only to double-fault twice in succession.
But Gauff broke Tomljanovic again to give herself a second chance, and let out a roar after hitting a backhand winner down the line on match point to set up a second-round clash with Donna Vekic.
Having spent two hours and 57 minutes on court at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the American admitted she was "mentally exhausted".
Read more: Katie Boulter’s US Open defeat means she will drop out of the world’s top 50
Read more: Venus Williams falls short in thrilling US Open comeback at 45
"It [her service game] wasn't the best today, but at 30-30 [in the last game] it came in when it mattered. It's an improvement.
"It was a tough match. I had chances for it to be straight sets. Ajla was tough, I felt like she was getting so many balls back. I'm happy to get through to the next round. I had so many chances. I was like, 'eventually they're going to come'."
Elsewhere on day three, Iga Swiatek set a new record with a dominant first-round victory over Emiliana Arango.
The Wimbledon champion continued her impressive summer form with a 6-1 6-2 stroll against the Colombian and has now won her opening match at 65 consecutive tournaments, breaking the previous Open era record set by Monica Seles.
Although the Pole is seeded second behind Aryna Sabalenka, she appears to be the player to beat at Flushing Meadows, having followed up her Wimbledon triumph with victory at the big WTA event in Cincinnati last week.
"First matches are always a bit different, so I'm happy that I had some time to just get used to the conditions and the surface, because for sure it's different than the practice courts," said the Pole, who won her only title here in 2022 and next faces Dutchwoman Suzan Lamens.
"I think it was just a solid match, and so I'm happy that I can play another round here."
Naomi Osaka, who is seeded again at a grand slam for the first time since before her maternity break, moved into round two with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Greet Minnen, while Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova beat Kimberly Birrell 6-3 6-2.
Meanwhile, tournament organisers announced that Venus Williams, who impressed in a first-round defeat against Karolina Muchova on Monday, will play in the women's doubles with Leylah Fernandez.
