Coco Gauff came back from a set down to beat Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round of the US Open, keeping alive the 20-year-old American’s dream of defending her first Grand Slam title.
The third seed made a string of errors in the first set at Arthur Ashe Stadium, losing 11 points in the first set to lose 6-3 against 27th seed Svitolina.
But Gauff then raised her level and at one point won nine of 11 games to seal victory, something she did three times when winning the tournament last year – including the final against Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff’s win also ended a five-match losing streak against top 50 opponents.
On Sunday, she will play either fellow American and 13th seed Emma Navarro — who beat Gauff in the fourth round at Wimbledon this summer — or 19th seed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine for a place in the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows.
Gauff: The crowd always gives me energy
Coco Gauffwhile talking to Sky Sports Courtside:
“It was a tough match. I was a bit nervous at the end, but I controlled myself and tried to stay focused.
“I am really proud and overall I am very happy with my game. Elina is not an easy player at all, especially in the early stages of the tournament.
“I was using the crowd to my advantage, they always give me energy. I was trying my best to stay excited but also calm – sometimes the adrenaline can be too much. It’s about finding balance.
“There is still a long way to go. I am focusing on the match in front of me and enjoying it.”
Henman: Gauff needs to raise her level
Sky Sports’ Tim Henman,
“It’s about winning. It looks stressful, but he’s done really well in responding.”
“The stress level was very high. You could see from his reaction that he was happy to win, but also very relieved.”
“He’s done his job, but there’s still room for improvement. It’s the mark of a great player that you can win without playing well.”
“She is still in good shape, she is still in the tournament and she can still play better. I think she will have to raise her level when she faces better players.”
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Feliciano Lopez saw the funny side when a member of the production crew removed a bug crawling on his shoulder mid-interview at the US Open.
Sky Sports’ Feliciano Lopez,
“A win is a win. After a bad start, he found a way to turn the situation around and eventually won the match.”
“Sometimes it’s about survival. She hasn’t always looked good on court in terms of tennis, but she has found a way and she will get another chance [in the fourth round],
“It shows that Coco is a great competitor and sometimes you win by being a better competitor than the others. I think she has that confidence.”
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in September?
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Find out all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA Tour
- Jasmine Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (September 9-15)
- Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (September 9-15)
- Korea Open – WTA 500 (September 16-22 – in action with Emma Raducanu)
- Thailand Open – WTA 250 (16-22 September)
- Chengdu Open, China – ATP 250 (September 18-24)
- Hangzhou Open, China – ATP 250 (September 18-24)
- China Open – WTA 1000 (25 September – 6 October)
- Japan Open – ATP 500 (25 September – 1 October)
- China Open – ATP 500 (26 September – 2 October)
Sky Sports+ is officially launched and will be integrated Sky TVStreaming Service Now and the Sky Sports app, which will allow Sky Sports customers to watch more than 50 per cent of live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
