Coco Gauff has kicked off her 2024 Miami Open campaign with a convincing win over Nadia Podoroska.
Starting the tournament against the world no. 78, Gauff knew that she would be a clear favourite to win the opening match at the WTA 1000 tournament and make the next round.
After reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 Indian Wells Open, the 20-year-old wanted to follow up on the good results also in Miami, the place she considers home.
Her second-round match, which was her first at the tournament thanks to a first-round bye, got postponed multiple times, as the rain held up the play on Friday.
But once Gauff got onto the court, she was just much better than her opponent, and it was clear that she wanted to finish the match before the rain returned to secure her spot in the next round.
In the opening round, the American got two breaks, but she struggled to serve out the first set, with Podoroska having one break back point and Gauff having to go through multiple deuces, before eventually winning the set 6-1.
The 2023 US Open champion managed to break her opponent's serve twice also in the second set, but once again, she just didn't seem to be able to finish off the match.
Finishing as quickly as possible was essential for Gauff, as rain could have stopped the match anytime, and the last thing she wanted was to have to return to the tennis court to play a couple of points.
With a 5-2 lead in the second set, she had to have five match points, while saving two break points in the process, to win the longest game of the match and win 6-1, 6-2, booking her spot in the third round against the winner of the match between Arantxa Rus and Oceane Dodin.