World number two Coco Gauff battled into the third round of the WTA Canadian Open on Tuesday by outlasting US compatriot Danielle Collins 7-5, 4-6, 7-6.<\/p>\n
Gauff<\/a> won the last six points of the match to capture her opener in her first hardcourt tune-up event on the road to the US Open, which starts on August 24th<\/p>\n Top seed Gauff, the reigning French Open champion who also won the 2023 US Open, advanced to a third-round Montreal match against fifth-ranked Veronika Kudermetova<\/a>, who eliminated Serbian Olga Danilovic<\/a> 6-4, 6-2.<\/p>\n “It was a frustrating match for me just because I felt like I was practicing well, and then I don’t think I transferred it,” Gauff said.<\/p>\n “But hopefully I got my bad match of the tournament out of the way and I can come back stronger in the next round.”<\/p>\n The 21-year-old Gauff, seeking her 11th career WTA title, fired 23 double faults against three aces, but closed out the match with an ace after two hours and 55 minutes.<\/p>\n “It was a tough battle out there,” Gauff said. “Making serves in the court was the toughest challenge. Maybe if I cut that in half, it could be a quicker match for me. I thought I was playing well, except for that part of my game.”<\/p>\n Gauff converted nine of 16 break chances in her first victory since capturing the title at Roland Garros.<\/p>\n “For me to break her as many times as I did, there are some positives to take from today,” Gauff said.<\/p>\n