"Like meeting a celebrity" - Gauff on tricky opening match in Doha

| by Sebastian Dahlman

Coco Gauff played her first tournament since the Australian Open and her first opponent wasn't an easy one.

The teenager signed up for the 2023 Qatar Open in Doha, and thanks to being one of the top four seeded players, she received a bye in the first round and awaited two-time Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova in the second.

The Czech player is one of the most experienced players on the WTA Tour, and she's also a former world no. 2, so for Gauff, it was a big challenge facing someone so experienced early on.

However, the young American handled the pressure well and won the match 6-3, 7-6(6) to advance to the quarterfinals, where she will meet the eighth-seeded Veronika Kudermetova. Speaking about her second-round meeting, she said:

2023 Qatar Open Doha WTA Prize Money & Points Overview - $780,637
2023 Qatar Open Doha WTA Prize Money & Points Overview - $780,637

"I felt like I have watched her for a long time, and it was weird playing her in that respect, because it's like almost meeting a celebrity in a way. [I had to just] accept when she hits a winner. There were points that I thought I played well, and she just came up with a good shot. She hit an amazing down-the-line forehand, and I thought I had a pretty good backhand -- not a winner, but enough to get her on defense. It clearly wasn't enough."

Gauff had to be aware that with her power hitting, Kvitova can hit a lot of winners and make her life difficult, but the American was ready for that and excelled on the court.

"The only thing you can do is clap your hands and keep on moving. I think for me, playing her, I just tried to focus on my end of the court and let her hit her winners or not and try to be aggressive when I could. I honestly didn't have a lot of chances today. I think I definitely won more points on the defense."

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