Gauff overcomes late nerves to advance at Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, California: American tennis star Coco Gauff secured a spot in the last 16 at Indian Wells on Monday with a determined 7-6(1), 6-2 victory over Greece’s Maria Sakkari. Despite a tense final game where she struggled with six double faults, the third seed ultimately closed out the match on her sixth match point with a forehand winner.
“Except for the last game, I thought I played a great match. Just trying to look at the positives,” Gauff said post-match. “Obviously, I was a bit disappointed with the last game, but that’s just the perfectionist in me.”
Gauff had extra motivation in front of the home crowd, seeking revenge after losing to Sakkari in the semi-finals last year. She showed her resilience in the opening-set tiebreak, winning six consecutive points to take control.
The second set saw both players trade early breaks before Gauff seized momentum, breaking Sakkari to love in the fifth game and cruising to victory. She will now face Swiss player Belinda Bencic in the next round.
Meanwhile, fellow American Madison Keys battled past Belgian Elise Mertens in a three-set thriller, winning 6-2, 6-7(8), 6-4 to also advance.
