Coco Gauff opened her 2023 US Open campaign but needed to work her way to overcome two-time US Open doubles champion Laura Siegemund at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, August 28.
The no. 6 speed needed to come up with something special and claw her way out of a one-set deficit against Siegemund in a match that new coach Brad Gilbert called "winning ugly."
Gauff had her work cut out against Siegemund, who used her attacking brand of play against the 19-year-old.
However, the American netter managed to get her act together in the third set, with Siegemund committing costly errors. That included being penalized for her second-time violation, allowing Gauff to take a 5-1 lead.
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After dropping the first set, Gauff eventually closed out the match to advance to the next round, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, US Open.org reported.
No stopping Coco!
She's onto Round 2 after a hard-fought third set. pic.twitter.com/5kcrGqJg5B— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 29, 2023
The match was not spared from heated moments, with Gauff blasting the umpire for failing to enforce time violation rules on Siegemund, the New York Post reported.
"She's never ready when I'm serving; she went over to talk like four times, you only gave her a time violation once, how is this fair?" Gauff quipped via ESPN.
"You have missed her like four times. She's never ready! It's not like we're having, like 30-ball rallies. It's two balls... I'm going at a normal speed! Ask any ref here, I go at a medium-pace speed," the 19-year-old continued.
After disposing of Siegemund, Gauff will move on, hoping to bag a Grand Slam. In the lead-up to the U.S. Open, she has already conquered tournaments held in Washington and Cincinnati in the summer.
Gauf will face Russia's Mirra Andreeva as her second-round opponent in the US Open.
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