'It’s unbelievable she still wins': Lindsay Davenport on Coco Gauff’s win despite double fault meltdown

Former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport commented on Coco Gauff's serving problems after another day filled with double faults from the American. Gauff debuted at the Canadian Open with a hard-fought victory against Danielle Collins, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2), committing a total of 23 double faults.

It was the most double faults by a single player in a WTA 1000 event so far this year, but she still managed to win. She broke her own "record" from the Indian Wells first round, where she logged 21 double faults against Moyuka Uchijima.

Curiously, the third most double-faulted player in a single match also belongs to Gauff, when she won the Rome Open semifinals against Zheng Qinwen (7-6, 4-6, 7-6), totaling 16 double faults.

Gauff's service struggles: A recurring issue since Roland Garros

The problem with double faults for Gauff is something that has appeared several times in her career, but it seemed to have been overcome. However, since she won the Roland Garros title two months ago, the American has not felt comfortable on serve.

On grass courts, it was a problem again, which led to early defeats. In the Berlin Ladies Open first round against Xinyu Wang, she fell 3-6, 3-6, committing 7 double faults. Then at Wimbledon, she had 9 double faults in a straight-sets loss to Dayana Yastremska, ending her ambitions at the All England Club prematurely.

Things have only gotten worse in this area for Gauff, who committed an impressive 23 double faults against Collins in her second-round debut. In the third round, she was on the brink against Veronika Kudermetova, committing another 14 double faults, but she once again secured a victory despite evident serving issues.

"It was interesting she kept looking down at her grip when she was serving. It looked like they were trying to make some changes with the serve," commented former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport. "She was not comfortable with it yet. It looks like they know it’s a problem and she didn’t have the confidence with it last night."

"Her toss was all over the place. But she still wins. It’s unbelievable her ability to figure out ways to win when she is playing, honestly, C-level tennis out there. She did a fantastic job managing her emotions."

Gauff's next challenge: A rematch with local youngstar Mboko

Gauff will have a tricky opponent in the Round of 16 against local wildcard Victoria Mboko, the only Canadian remaining in the competition. The 18-year-old has been impressive in Montreal, defeating Sofia Kenin (23rd seed) and Marie Bouzkova to set up a second career meeting with the American.

Three months ago, Mboko qualified for the Italian Open and was playing in only her second WTA 1000 main draw. She defeated Arianna Zucchini in the first round in straight sets and then faced Gauff. The Canadian went up a set on Gauff but could not maintain the momentum and ultimately fell 6-3, 2-6, 1-6, while the American had a great week, reaching the final and losing to Jasmine Paolini.

In that match, Gauff's serving problems were evident. Mboko converted 6 breaks on 7 opportunities, while the American secured 9 breaks on 13 opportunities. The two-time Grand Slam champion committed 8 double faults and won only 54% of her first-serve points, but she still managed to pull off a more hard-fought victory than expected against the unknown Mboko.

This time, the Canadian arrives full of confidence and with more experience on the tour. With her two victories in Montreal, she has guaranteed a rise of at least 20 spots in the ranking and is positioned at No. 65 in the live rankings. She is one of only four players under 19 in the top 100 (only behind No. 5 Mirra Andreeva).