Montreal: Top seed Gauff overtakes Collins

MONTREAL(Web Desk) World number two Coco Gauff battled into the third round of the WTA Canadian Open on Tuesday by outlasting US compatriot Danielle Collins 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2).

Gauff won the last six points of the match to capture her opener in her first hardcourt tune-up event on the road to the US Open, which starts on August 24.

Top seed Gauff, the reigning French Open champion who also won the 2023 US Open, advanced to a third-round Montreal match against fifth-ranked Veronika Kudermetova, who eliminated Serbian Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-2.

“It was a frustrating match for me just because I felt like I was practicing well and then I don’t think I transferred it,” Gauff said.

“But hopefully I got my bad match of the tournament out of the way and I can come back stronger in the next round.”

The 21-year-old Gauff, seeking her 11th career WTA title, fired 23 double faults against three aces, but closed out the match with an ace after two hours and 55 minutes.

“It was a tough battle out there,” Gauff said. “Making serves in the court was the toughest challenge. Maybe if I cut that in half it could be a quicker match for me. I thought I was playing well, except for that part of my game.”

Gauff converted nine of 16 break chances in her first victory since capturing the title at Roland Garros.

“For me to break her as many times as I did, there are some positives to take from today,” Gauff said.

Collins and Gauff exchanged breaks in the first four games before Gauff held and then broke again for a 4-2 lead then held again.

But serving for the set, Gauff swatted a crosscourt forehand wide to surrender a break and Collins held to 5-5, only for Gauff to hold then break at love to take the first set in 53 minutes on the fifth of 13 Collins double faults.

After trading four breaks in the first six games, Collins broke at love to 4-3 and held twice to force a third set.

Collins served for the match leading 6-5 in the final set only for Gauff to break with a backhand crosscourt winner to force a tiebreaker.

Gauff fell behind 2-1 but landed an mis-hit lob winner and never dropped another point, Collins hitting a forehand long, double faulting and netting a backhand to 5-2 before Gauff blasted a service winner and ace to end matters.