Gauff adjusts to Cocciaretto’s tempo, closes it in three at the Miami Open

MIAMI -- When Coco Gauff last took the court, her week ended abruptly, forced to retire against Alexandra Eala in the third round of Indian Wells with an arm issue that left her status for the Miami Open uncertain.

For a moment, she considered not playing at all.

“Every day it's different, but I think for the most part I will be fine playing this tournament,” Gauff said ahead of the event. “I might feel it sometimes on court, but I definitely feel it less and less every day.”

Playing at home ultimately tipped the balance. And on Saturday, that decision paid off.

After dropping the opening set and struggling to find rhythm against Elisabetta Cocciaretto’s early timing, Gauff regrouped and worked her way through a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Round of 64 comeback win at Hard Rock Stadium.

The match was delayed for several hours as more rain rolled through -- the second disruption in three days -- before play resumed. 

Gauff’s win came despite a few uneven patches on serve, including 11 double faults, but she was steadier in key moments. She won 63 percent of her service points, and while the margins elsewhere were slim -- 21 winners to Cocciaretto’s 23 and 39 unforced errors to 36 -- Gauff managed the bigger points more effectively as the match wore on.

Key moments in the match

• Cocciaretto breaks twice to take control of the opening set
• Gauff falls behind early in the second, then resets at 4-4 with a key break
• Gauff closes the second as Cocciaretto misfires off the backhand side
• Cocciaretto breaks to open the third, but Gauff responds immediately
• Gauff holds at love for 2-2, then breaks again for a 3-2 edge
• A multi-deuce hold pushes Gauff ahead 4-2
• Gauff serves it out at 5-3, converting on her third match point

“She takes the ball so early, you don’t have a lot of time to react,” Gauff said on court. “Once I got adjusted to the tempo, I felt like I could control the rallies when they went longer.

“Last time we played I didn’t win, so I wanted to overcome that feeling. This week made me realize how much I love this sport. Even when it’s tough, I enjoy the ups and downs of the journey.”

A win that adds to the bigger picture

With the win, Gauff recorded her 103rd career Tier I/WTA 1000 match victory before turning 23, moving into a tie for the second-most in that category -- a mark that places her alongside some of the most accomplished early-career performers in the sport’s recent history.

Tier I / WTA 1000 match wins before age 23 
--Martina Hingis: 154
--Caroline Wozniacki: 103
--Coco Gauff: 103
--Victoria Azarenka: 101
--Maria Sharapova: 97