This was never going to be easy, and Coco Gauff knew it. The weight of expectation—both her own and everyone else’s—hung heavy over Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night. An early exit in the second round of the U.S. Open, especially by double-faulting her way out, would have been unthinkable. For a while, though, it seemed dangerously possible.
The No. 3 seed from Florida broke down in tears after consecutive double-faults left her trailing late in the opening set against Croatia’s Donna Vekic. Sitting courtside, towel covering her face, Gauff couldn’t hide the emotions spilling out. Even when she returned to the baseline, she was dabbing at her eyes between points, trying desperately to refocus.
What followed was a gritty display of resilience. Gauff steadied her game, tightened her serve, and leaned on her superior defense to claw her way back, eventually defeating Vekic 7-6 (5), 6-2. The victory sent her into the third round, but not before she shed more tears—this time of relief.
“Obviously, I was frustrated,” Gauff admitted afterward. “But I told myself, ‘Find a way. Compete.’ That’s what I tried to do.”
Serving issues have long shadowed Gauff, who led the WTA Tour with over 300 double-faults this season and infamously hit 19 in a loss that ended her U.S. Open title defense a year ago. Determined to fix the problem, she recently hired biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan—credited with helping world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka rebuild her serve—and has been grinding through long practice sessions that have left her shoulder sore.
Still, old habits flared in the first set against Vekic. Gauff double-faulted seven times, dropped four of her six service games, and twice found herself broken while serving to stay in the set—at 5-4 and 6-5. Both times, she immediately broke back, then played a cleaner tiebreaker to seize momentum.
Her mother, Candi Gauff, was on her feet after the decisive point, shouting encouragement from just behind MacMillan’s seat. Coco headed to the locker room to splash water on her face and reset. The change was evident immediately: she hit only one double-fault in the second set and held serve throughout.
Vekic, who beat Gauff en route to the silver medal at last year’s Paris Olympics, had her own troubles. The Croatian required a medical timeout late in the first set for a right shoulder issue and finished with 10 double-faults. By the second set, she could not keep pace with Gauff’s steadier baseline game.
As the match slipped away, the crowd at Ashe—featuring Olympic gymnastics legend Simone Biles—rallied behind Gauff. When she sealed the win with a clenched fist and a yell, the tension of the first set had given way to triumph.
With the 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory, the 21-year-old American advances to face Magdalena Frech of Poland, who rallied past Peyton Stearns 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-2.
Elsewhere in the draw, American No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova advanced with a 7-6 (2), 6-2 win over Maya Joint, keeping alive hopes for a deep U.S. contingent in the second week.
For Gauff, the story remains the same: her serve is a work in progress, and the expectations aren’t going anywhere. But Thursday night proved again that her grit and baseline mastery can still carry her through difficult moments.
“This wasn’t easy,” Gauff said, voice steady but eyes still damp. “But I’m still here. And I’m still fighting.”
