Coco Gauff wins tough first-round match at the Dubai Open


Coco Gauff wins tough first-round match at the Dubai Open

Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff had to use all her energy reserves to overcome Ekaterina Alexandrova in their first round encounter at the WTA Dubai Open. The contest went into the third round tie breaker which Gauff won, 10-8, to close out the match 7-6 2-6 7-6. With World rankings of no.38 and no.33, the two players Gauff and Alexandrova were evenly matched even before the match began.

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The first round went into a tie break and Gauff won it. Gauff’s play at the net was very good in the first set. But in the second round Alexandrova found her hitting range, and roared back into the match taking the second set 6-2. In the third set, Gauff looked comfortably in control leading 5-1, but suddenly things began to change.

 Alexandrova started going for her shots and landing them. Gauff’s serve broke down completely and that allowed the Russian to take the third set into tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Gauff saved two match points before finally closing out the set 7-6. 

Making it to the final will be a good birthday gift: Coco Gauff 

Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff will turn seventeen on the day of the Dubai Open Finals, and she hopes she can be a part of the Final. Gauff is only sixteen right now, and has a big heart. She has a great forehand, can run for miles on end, and has a good return of serve. But everything is overshadowed by her weak serve.

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If Gauff wants to further climb up the WTA Rankings, she will have to improve her serve, otherwise there is no chance of her making it to the top 15 or top 20. Her next opponent in the Dubai Open is the winner between Ana Bogdan the Qualifier and Marketa Vondrousova

Also Read: WTA Dubai Open 2021: Elise Mertens vs Fiona Ferro -Preview, Head-to-Head and Predictions