Coco Gauff ousts Mirra Andreeva in battle of the young guns to reach US Open third round
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 30/08/2023 at 18:10 GMT
The New York crowd will be getting ever-more hopeful that this Coco Gauff has what it takes to land a maiden Grand Slam title on home turf after the American beat Mirra Andreeva in straight sets to reach the third round. Gauff, seeded sixth at Flushing Meadows, is in fine form and made short work of her fellow teenage sensation in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Elise Mertens or Danielle Collins awaits next.
Swiatek taking nothing for granted in US Open defence
Coco Gauff triumphed over Mirra Andreeva in a battle of the young guns to reach the third round of the US Open with a commanding straight-sets win.
The sixth seed won 6-3 6-2 in 76 minutes to earn a clash with fellow American Danielle Collins or No. 32 seed Elise Mertens.
It was a commanding display that will do little to dampen the New York crowd's hopes that Gauff could make a run for her maiden Grand Slam title.
The closest the 19-year-old previously came was losing the Roland-Garros final to Iga Swiatek last year, while her run to the quarter-finals at the 2022 US Open was another personal best.
Titles at Washington and Cincinnati in preparation for the final major of the season provided perfect preparation this year, and that form has continued so far.
Andreeva, aged just 16, has been the revelation of the season after reaching the third and fourth round in Paris and at Wimbledon respectively, but she was outclassed by Gauff in the opening match of the day in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was a second win from two meetings between the pair, who also faced off at Roland-Garros earlier this year, and could well be the start of a long-running on-court rivalry.
Andreeva got off to a flying start, breaking Gauff in the opening game of the match as the American stuck a low backhand in the net at break point.
But the American dusted herself down and produced a sensational response, finding two winners as she broke back immediately to kick off a run of four consecutive games.
Gauff led 4-1 after just 17 minutes to firmly take the momentum and dropped just two more points on serve before closing out the opener 6-3 in 37 minutes.
The 19-year-old won 13/15 points on her first serve, but showed her power in the rallies too when she landed a forehand winner into the corner to end a superb 21-shot rally in the final game.
A hold apiece kicked off the second set, but Gauff soon had the set under her control as a rasping forehand winner saw her break Andreeva to love in game three before saving two break points to consolidate for a 3-1 lead.
Two hard-fought holds kept the match in the balance, but Gauff took the double-break with a thunderous volley before serving out the match.
- - -
Stream and watch the 2023 Laver Cup exclusively live across Europe on Eurosport and discovery+.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/geo/country/flag/large/2204.png)
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/geo/country/flag/large/2209.png)