Coco Gauff survives Veronika Kudermetova at Canadian Open despite service issues

Coco Gauff survived a tough encounter against Veronika Kudermetova in the third round of the Canadian Open. It was another match marked by double faults for the American, who managed to secure the victory 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and guarantee her place in the Round of 16.

The world No. 2 managed to recover from complicated moments in the second set and regain control of the match. The errors on the American's serve were constantly exploited by Kudermetova, who had opportunities to close out the win earlier but ended up complicating things against her rival's hierarchy.

Despite the victory, doubts once again loom over Gauff, after she committed 14 double faults, adding to the 23 she committed against Danielle Collins in her debut. That's an impressive total of 53 double faults in her last 4 matches, and despite her two wins in Montreal, the two-time Grand Slam champion has a lot to improve if she wants to keep advancing.

In the Round of 16, she awaits her opponent, who will be the winner between Victoria Mboko and Marie Bouzkova.

First Set

Everything started in the best way for Gauff, who got a break right away and, defending a couple of service games, took a 3-0 lead. The American already showed flaws in her serve with her first double fault early on, something that has been complicating things for her lately and which was a problem again today.

At 4-1, Gauff was in comfortable control, but Kudermetova's reaction would come. With a strong, clean service game, she showed she was ready to compete. It was there that Kudermetova started a great streak, taking advantage of her opponent's nerves to get the break on her first chance. The Russian managed to tie the match with her serve, with neither player being particularly dominant on serve, although Kudermetova handled the pressure points better.

Kudermetova went on a run of 5 consecutive games to take the set – with two breaks in between – and won the set 6-4. Gauff had a total of 7 double faults in just 5 service games, which ended up costing her dearly as she completely lost control of a match she seemed to have dominated.

Second Set

Kudermetova maintained her momentum at the start of the second set, taking her third consecutive break. In the next game, the Russian saved up to two break points to extend her streak to 7 consecutive games and take a comfortable 2-0 lead.

The world No. 2 managed to break the negative streak in the third game, which was vital for regaining confidence. At 1-3, Gauff was on the brink of disaster and had to save a break point and play several deuces to hold her serve. It was then that a break opportunity came again for the two-time Grand Slam champion, who got the break and three consecutive games, pulling ahead to 4-3.

Nevertheless, Kudermetova didn't seem to lose focus and maintained good service effectiveness. The match was tied at 4-4, and the tension grew in the final moments, especially for Gauff, who, when she had to serve to stay in the match, had to save two break points. The American got the break in the final minutes, finding her breath again as she won the set 7-5.

Third Set

Returning to the court for the third set brought a Gauff revitalized with confidence. She took her first service games without problems and a clean break that put her comfortably ahead at 3-0. This time, Gauff showed more conviction in her shot-making and reduced her unforced errors, showing perhaps her best game of the match so far.

The world No. 2 was convincing in the final part of the match, staying firm from the back of the court and with momentum on her side. Kudermetova was committing too many forehand errors, and many balls were hitting the net, doing a favor to her opponent who had been the more erratic player for almost the entire match. Gauff held on to her lead with her serve, and towards the end of the set, she got the definitive break that would give her the 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory in a hard-fought comeback that sends her to the Round of 16.

Gauff awaits opponent in fourth round

In the fourth round, Gauff is still waiting to find out her opponent, who will be decided in the next match on the same center court. Local player Victoria Mboko will face the Czech Marie Bouzkova. Mboko – 18 years old – continues to take giant strides in the rankings, having secured her first appearance in the third round of a WTA 1000, which moves her up to world No. 73 in the live rankings. A victory would put her in the top 65 and, for the first time, in the top 16 of a tournament of this category.

Match Statistics Gauff vs. Kudermetova