Gauff, Osaka cruise into US Open second round

New York, Aug 27 (IANS) The No. 3 seed American Coco Gauff rebounded from a slow start and a second-set wobble to outlast Ajla Tomljanovic, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 in the final match of the women’s first round.

After a slow start—she trailed 2-0 and 3-1 in the opening set—Gauff appeared to be on her way to a routine victory, up 6-4, 4-2. But Tomljanovic was unbowed, slugging her way back into the match, denying Gauff when she was two points from victory at 6-5, and blitzing the American in the second-set tiebreak, 7-2, to force a decider

Gauff took the early advantage in the third, pulling ahead 3-1. But she couldn’t convert break opportunities in each of Tomljanovic’s next two service games and was broken serving for the match at 5-4, a pair of double faults gifting Tomljanovic an early advantage in the game.

Gauff then dug deep to break for a 6-5 lead held her serve to secure the hard-fought win.

Next up for Gauff is Donna Vekic, the former world No. 17 who reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2024 and the quarterfinals at the US Open in 2019. Vekic outlasted world No. 40 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in a tough three-setter in the opening round.

Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka kicked off her US Open campaign with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Greet Minnen.

Facing the 106th-ranked Belgian, Osaka attained a solid level inside Louis Armstrong Stadium on Tuesday night to seal a place in the second round.

At world No. 24, Osaka is seeded for the first time at a Slam since the 2022 Australian Open, and her latest win—her 10th in her past 13 matches—follows on from a third-round finish at Wimbledon and a final appearance at the recent Canadian Open.

Osaka will next play Hailey Baptiste in the second round.

--IANS

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