The No. 3 seed held on from 30-0 to 5-5, then broke when his opponent double-faulted again under pressure. Gauff made it four straight to seal the game in the 89th minute.
“I overtook a bit but she was coming back well. So that put pressure on my serve,” said the 20-year-old, who committed six double faults and won 43 percent of her points on second serve in the second set.
“Maybe next time, mix up the targets a little.” I was just trying to tell myself to stay deep when I could and be offensive when I could, because if I nailed something short, she hit a winner.
Next up for the reigning WTA Finals titleholder: Leylah Fernandez, 30th seed. Gauff kicked off his 2025 season, on December 29, 2024 no less, with a victorious 6-3, 6-2 United Cup debut against the southpaw in Perth.
