“`wordpress
NEW YORK — Coco Gauff found her best form after going a set down, defeating Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round of the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 20-year-old American continues her defense of her first Grand Slam title.
Gauff, who is the third seed, faced significant challenges in the first set, making a series of errors as she lost the final 11 points to Svitolina, the 27th seed and a semifinalist in three major tournaments. “She is a fighter,” said Gauff. “I knew I had to play my best.”
After falling behind in the first set, Gauff found her rhythm and won nine of the next 11 games to stay in the match against Svitolina. Gauff has previously demonstrated her ability to make comebacks; she has done so three times on her way to victory at the US Open 2023, including in the final against Aryna Sabalenka.
“I tried to be more aggressive with my forehand and ask for fewer errors on my backhand,” Gauff explained regarding her strategy during the match. In the first set, she made a total of 16 unforced errors, nine of which were on her backhand, and she managed only seven winners. Her serving statistics were also disappointing, with only 45% of her first serves going in.
Following the first set, Gauff bounced back strongly as the crowd became more engaged. “My team said that the audience was on the edge of their seats,” Gauff shared. “So I thought, ‘Okay, I need to get it going so you can get it going.’”
This victory breaks a five-match losing streak for Gauff against top 50 opponents and could be just what she needs to overcome a recent slump in which she won only five of her last nine matches.
Gauff’s performance this year contrasts sharply with last year when she won 18 out of 19 matches and claimed two titles on hard courts before winning the US Open, making her the first American teenager to win at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999. On Sunday, Gauff will seek a spot in the quarterfinals against the winner of the later match between 13th-seeded Emma Navarro from the USA and 19th-seeded Marta Kostyuk from Ukraine.
For Gauff, the turning point in Friday’s match came after 1 hour and 10 minutes when she broke Svitolina to lead 4-2 in the second set. She celebrated with a shout of “Come on!” and encouraged the audience to cheer. She later closed out the second set with a serve clocked at 94 mph, punctuated with a fist pump of joy.
In the third set, with UConn women’s basketball stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd in her guest box, Gauff quickly went up 2-0 after winning a 38-shot rally. She soon extended her lead to 5-1, and despite some nerves when she struggled to close the match at 5-2, she broke back quickly and finished the contest.
Coco Gauff continues her quest for the title, once again showcasing the fighting spirit and talent necessary to advance deep into the tournament.
“`