No. 1 seed Coco Gauff of the United States returned to winning form Thursday with a three-set victory over a former Top 10 player at the Omnium Banque Nationale.
Montreal: Draws | Scores | Order of play
World No. 2 Coco Gauff came back from a set and a break down to defeat Veronika Kudermetova 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and advance to the Round of 16 in Montreal for the fifth straight year.
“It was a tough match today,” Gauff said afterward. “I thought I did well mentally, especially on the return. I was playing an opponent that served really well.
“Obviously I would like to serve better on my end, but overall, just happy to get through.”
Gauff survived hitting 14 double faults before taking the win in 2 hours and 32 minutes. After losing her first career meeting with Kudermetova, Gauff has now won their last three encounters on tour.
The 21-year-old Gauff is also is the youngest player to register 10 career match-wins at this tournament since Justine Henin in 2003.
Picking up wins again: After Gauff claimed her second Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros in June, she suffered a two-match winless blip, losing her opening contests at Berlin and Wimbledon. In her first match this week, she needed a third-set tiebreak to squeak past former World No. 7 Danielle Collins.
Former World No. 9 Kudermetova also gave Gauff a stern test, but this time, the American dominated the third set after coming back from a one-set deficit. Gauff is now a win away from making her fourth Omnium Banque Nationale quarterfinal in her five tournament appearances.
Tale of the match: On Thursday, Gauff saw a 4-1 first-set lead slip away, and at 4-4, 40-15, the American lost five of the next eight points with double faults. Kudermetova took advantage, firing strong groundstroke winners from both wings as she wrapped up the set.
Three more Gauff double faults in the opening game of the second set gave Kudermetova a hefty set-and-a-break lead, but the typically gritty Gauff started to turn the match around as the set progressed. Gauff was able to pull back level, breaking for 3-3 with a forehand return winner.
Gauff was not out of the woods just yet, and she had to save break points in both her 4-4 and 5-5 service games, barely denying Kudermetova chances to serve for a straight-sets win. But the American did scrape to 6-5, at which point Kudermetova blinked, slamming a backhand smash into the net to give Gauff the second set.
“I just think I got really upset with myself and I was just like, ‘You know, just try to hit the ball hard and deep in the court,’” Gauff said, reflecting on her second-set turnaround. “Eventually I was able to turn that anger into something more positive.”
After that set, Gauff took charge, breaking Kudermetova at love for a 2-0 lead in the decider. Gauff eased home from there, and the match ended with Kudermetova’s first double fault of the day. Gauff finished the match with a 5-for-10 break point conversion rate.