Coco Gauff arrived in Toronto with the ambition to improve on her underwhelming showing from the 2024 Paris Olympics, and she made a great start, winning her match in two sets.
The 20-year-old last played at the Olympic Games in the French capital, where she had high hopes of possibly winning at least one, if not more, medals. The American played in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles but lost in all competitions and left Paris without any medals.
She was still happy with how her experience went because the experience itself was hugely significant. She would liked a medal, but it didn't work out, and she will have many more Olympic Games to try to do it again.
The redemption is possible at the 2024 Canadian Open in Toronto, where Gauff arrived as the top seed who was expected to go deep, and possibly win the WTA 1000 tournament in Canada.
Players like Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula are her biggest rivals, and she proved she can beat both in the past. Her first in Toronto opponent was Yafan Wang, who bested Sofia Kenin in the previous round.
It was a good win for the Chinese player, but she didn't play flawless tennis. She lost her serve multiple times, so the 2023 US Open champion was heavily favored in this match.
Still, it wasn't that simple, because it was Wang who had the first break point. She nearly broke early for the 2-1 lead, but instead of that, Gauff got into a 4-1 lead. She was playing solid tennis, which was more than enough to overpower the Chinese player.
However, Gauff couldn't hold that break, as the Chinese player battled back with some really inspired play, but the American player still escaped, winning the opening set 6-4.
She was clearly a better player than Wang, and she was able to show that. At times, it was a decent battle between the players, but for the most part, Gauff was clearly the better player.
Gauff served well in the opening set, allowing her to exert a decent amount of pressure. Her inconsistent play at times is what mostly gave Wang the chance because she didn't create that much pressure with her own play.
On return, the top seed did well, too, as the Chinese player didn't serve that well. Whether it was the first or the second serve, Gauff found solutions. After taking that opening set, the American was clearly able to relax a bit, which is how she opened up the second set.
She relaxed and focused, allowing herself to take a 3-0 lead. She's had moments in the past when she would complicate matches more than needed to, and unfortunately, that happened in this match as well.
Instead of using her break chances to make it 4-0 lead, Gauff lost the break, and it was 3-2 and then 3-3. She stopped the bleeding to take a 4-3 lead, but she couldn't use a 30-0 advantage on her opponent's serve, so it was 4-4.
Luckily, she was able to escape in two sets, winning the second set 6-4, to avoid major complications, taking the match in two simple sets, 6-4, 6-4. However, it is still a reminder that Gauff can't allow herself to lapse in focus.
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