Coco Gauff was greatly disappointed in her first match in Doha, but she was much better in her first match at the 2024 Dubai Championships, cruising in two sets.
The opponent this time around might have been a bit easier on paper, but Elisabetta Cocciaretto is certainly a player who is capable of playing really strong tennis.
The Italian played once again Gauff, and she did pretty well even though it was a loss in straight sets. It was a loss in straight sets this time around because Gauff played a much better match than she did last week.
The match in Doha might have been one of the worst matches she had played in recent months, and she recognized that after that match. It's probably why she played this match so decisively, and the score certainly reflects that.
Cocciaretto has a serious problem in this matchup, and it's a lack of weapons compared to what Gauff can do. The American is quick, and the Italian doesn't have enough power to really hit through her.
That creates a lot of problems for the Italian, who might resort to hitting harder, which can result in many errors. That's exactly what happened in the opening set, and coupled with the 19-year-old's own good play, it was more than enough to win the first set 6-1.
The second set didn't offer anything different for the Italian who tried and tried but things simply didn't work out. She didn't play her best tennis but she's certainly capable of playing better than she did in this match.
Gauff opened with an early break 2-0, added another break to make it 3-0, but then lost her serve to make it 3-1. Then Gauff got broken again for the 3-3 score but broke her opponent once more for the 4-3 lead.
It was just a crazy sequence that ultimately ended with the American winning the match in two sets, 6-1, 7-5 to set up a third-round clash with the former WTA's world no. 1, Karolina Pliskova.
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