Coco Gauff overcame her serving struggles to secure a spot in the second round of the Australian Open.
According to Associated Press, third-seeded Gauff on Monday, January 19, powered past Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-3 to claim a first-round win in Melbourne.
The 21-year-old has six double faults in the first set and only one in the second set. Despite struggles, she managed to pull a straight-set victory over the Russian-born Uzbekistani tennis professional.
The two-time Grand Slam winner has been struggling with double faults for a long time. Last year during the WTA Tour she racked up 431, far more than any other player, as no one else even hit 300.
Following the opener win, Gauff said, “I mean, it was just the first set. Only had one double in the second. I think both of us were struggling on the far side. The sun is right there, which I know because every time I play first on a day here, that’s just how it is.”
“But once I got through kind of the first game, I had like three doubles in the first game, and once I got through that game, I mean, it was pretty much smooth sailing from there. Maybe I would have liked to put more first serves in the court, for sure,” she added.
Gauff will now face left-handed Olga Danilovic in the Australian Open second round on Wednesday, January 21.
