Gauff was down by a set before recovering to beat Svitolina in the US Open third round.
Coco Gauff was a set away from seeing her US Open title defense end in the third round but managed to prolong it after coming back from a set down to beat Elina Svitolina 3-6 6-3.
When the match started, it was the 27th-seeded Ukrainian who was controlling the rhythm and the American was on her back foot. But after taking the first set, the former world No. 3 didn’t convert a break point early in the following set and that was when the defending US Open champion turned the momentum on her side and ultimately completed a comeback.
For a place in the quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows, Gauff will play against either No. 13 seed Emma Navarro or 19th-seeded Marta Kostyuk.
How Gauff came back to beat Svitolina?
Early in the first set, it was Svitolina who had the first break point opportunities but missed out on two chances in the fourth game and another one in the sixth game. However, the Ukrainian tennis star also saved three break points in the seventh game before finally earning the first break in the eighth game and serving out for the opener in the following game.
Up by a set, the No. 27 also had a chance to claim an early second-set break but didn’t manage to do after Gauff saved a break point in the fifth game. After set and a half, the third-seeded American finally made her first big breakthrough as she got a break in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead and then just held on to her serve for the rest of the set to force a decider.
Moments after leveling the match to one set apiece, the 20-year-old continued her run at the start of the third set and earned a break in the very first game, as well as the fifth game en route to taking a very comfortable 5-1 lead.
Serving for the match, Gauff stunningly missed out on three consecutive match points but realized her fourth match point on Svitolina’s serve in the ninth game.
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