Coco Gauff extends Angelique Kerber’s losing run as Leylah Fernandez and Simona Halep also advance at Italian Open

Published 09/05/2022 at 20:52 GMT

Coco Gauff, Leylah Fernandez, Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka were among the players to enjoy first-round wins at the Italian Open in Rome on Monday. Defending champion and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek is not in action until Wednesday after receiving a bye, while Tuesday sees Emma Raducanu take on fellow US Open winner Bianca Andreescu.

Coco Gauff beat Angelique Kerber

Image credit: Getty Images

Coco Gauff recorded an impressive 6-1 6-4 victory over former world No.1 Angelique Kerber at the Italian Open as Leylah Fernandez, Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka all advanced in Rome.

A semi-finalist last year, No. 15 seed Gauff took just 70 minutes to dismiss Kerber, who is now on a six-match losing streak.

"We had a lot of close games even though the first set went 6-1, a lot of games went to deuce or 30-30," said Gauff, who lost to Kerber at Wimbledon last year.

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"Footwork and movement against her was crucial. She can change direction on some balls that a lot of players can't, so you don't really expect it.

"I felt like I was off-footed a lot, but I think what came through today is really how I handled myself."

Meanwhile, US Open finalist Fernandez recovered from a set down to beat Anastasia Pavlychenkova 1-6 6-2 6-2.

"She's an incredible player and she's very comfortable on clay. I knew it was going to be tough," said Fernandez.

"The first set, I made a few mistakes and she just took advantage of it. In the second set, I just wanted to play a little more freely, just letting go of my arms.

"Even though I lost the first game, I think it helped me to get into the match. Afterwards, my balls were just going in. I'm just glad that I was able to keep attacking, keep being on the offensive, even though I was making mistakes, and I still kept trusting myself."

Unseeded Halep will provide a stern test for No. 7 seed Danielle Collins in the next round after seeing off Alize Cornet 6-4 6-4.

Halep won the Rome event in 2020, and overcame a 1-4 record against Cornet – who won their last encounter at the Australian Open – to pick up her second victory over the Frenchwoman.

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Azarenka, meanwhile, breezed to a 6-3 6-0 victory over Viktorija Golubic, a week after she beat the same opponent at the Madrid Open.

"The beginning of the match was a bit nervy, and the first game I missed a few easy balls," said Azarenka.

"But starting the tournament is never easy to get into the groove. I'm glad I found my groove, stayed really focused and really disciplined. It's not about how you start, it's how you finish. I was thinking the conditions would favour her more than in Madrid, but I felt pretty comfortable out there."

Defending champion and world No.1 Iga Swiatek is not in action until Wednesday after receiving a bye in the opening round.

Among the players in action on Tuesday are Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu, with the latter taking on fellow US Open winner Bianca Andreescu.

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