Coco Gauff reaches US Open spherical of 16 with stress-free win

With her work-in-progress serve wanting one of the best it has thus far on this journey to Flushing Meadows, No. 3 seed Coco Gauff turned in by far her most stable — and stress-free — efficiency Saturday, defeating No. 28 Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-1 to succeed in the second week of the US Open for a fourth consecutive yr.

Gauff, 21, will probably be making her sixteenth look within the spherical of 16 at a serious, breaking a tie for the second-most such appearances by an American lady earlier than her twenty second birthday within the Open period.

After two troublesome wins beneath the lights at evening in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff acquired the schedule began with an 11:30 a.m. match. — with shade protecting almost half of the court docket on a cloudless morning.

“It was kind of hard to see the ball,” Gauff mentioned, “but overall, I’m happy with the way I played.”

Two days after she double-faulted seven instances and dropped 4 of her six service video games within the opening set towards Donna Vekic, Gauff had 4 double faults complete towards Frech and gained seven of eight service video games. She put in 76% of her first serves whereas averaging 98 mph, with a excessive of 113 mph.

“It’s been an emotional week … but I think I needed those tough moments to be able to move forward,” Gauff mentioned. “I was putting so much pressure on myself, but I’m really out here just trying to enjoy it and not focus so much on results, but the process, and I think today showed that I was really having fun out there.”

In each of her earlier outings, towards Ajla Tomljanovic on Tuesday and Vekic on Thursday, Gauff fell behind 2-0. Against Frech, she went up 3-0, earlier than operating into a touch of bother: Gauff slapped a second serve into the online to double-fault and get damaged, getting Frech inside 3-2, and shortly it was 3-all after 26 minutes.

In the subsequent recreation, Gauff led 40-love, however wound up at 40-30 after shanking a forehand that landed 10 toes out.

Thousands of followers began yelling encouragement and clapping to attempt to assist Gauff. She heard, seemed round and clutched a ball for her subsequent 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 ahead, clenched her left fist and screamed “Come on!”

That started a set-closing three-game run and Gauff was on her means. Her serve has turn out to be a serious problem, which is why she introduced aboard a biomechanics skilled, Gavin MacMillan, who helped Aryna Sabalenka settle her serving yips and rise to No. 1 within the WTA rankings with three main championships, together with in New York a yr in the past.

Gauff’s title protection on the US Open in 2024 ended with a fourth-round loss by which she had 19 double faults. She has been the worst participant on the ladies’s tour in that class this season and reached a low level with 23 in a victory at Montreal final month, and 14 extra in her subsequent match.

In the wins towards Tomljanovic and Vekic, Gauff totaled 18 double faults and misplaced 10 of the video games she served. What acquired her by way of these was the remainder of her recreation: returning, defending and a transparent superiority as soon as the ball was in play.

Those final three areas had been once more strengths for Gauff. She broke Frech 5 instances and was terrific every time their baseline exchanges lasted greater than 4 pictures, taking 35 of these 51 factors. She additionally made solely 18 unforced errors and claimed the purpose on 10 of her 11 instances on the web.

Gauff will face four-time main champion Naomi Osaka or No. 15 Daria Kasatkina on Monday for a berth within the quarterfinals. She is 3-2 in her WTA profession towards Osaka (1-1 in majors) and 0-3 vs. Kasatkina, although they’ve by no means performed in a Slam.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.