Gauff withstands late push to earn fourth consecutive win over Sakkari

In a rivalry that has swung back-and-forth over the years, Coco Gauff pushed it further in her favor Friday night in Toronto, defeating No. 29 seed Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-4 and withstanding a late push to close out the match in 1 hour and 16 minutes.

Toronto: Scores | Order of play | Draws

"I'm happy with how I played today. Maria is a tough opponent," Gauff said in her on-court interview. "Her level definitely raised toward the end of that second set. But I'm glad I was able to close it out. That last game was a big test for me."

It was a test Gauff passed with relative ease.

The win moves Gauff to 7-5 against Sakkari on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz and marks her fourth consecutive victory in the series -- all in straight sets. Sakkari is now the opponent Gauff has beaten most often; she owns six wins each over Belinda Bencic, Ons Jabeur, Karolina Muchova and Aryna Sabalenka.

Here are all seven wins Gauff has recorded over Sakkari:

• Toronto 2026 -- 6-1, 6-4
• United Cup 2026 -- 6-3, 6-2
• Miami 2025 -- 6-2, 6-4
• Indian Wells 2025 -- 7-6 (1), 6-2
• Beijing 2023 -- 6-2, 6-4
• Washington 2023 -- 6-2, 6-3
• Rome 2021 -- 6-1, 1-6, 6-1

Six of those seven wins have come in straight sets, and Gauff set the tone early again Friday. She broke in every return game of the opening set, racing out to a 4-0 lead and sealing the set with an ace a few games later after just 24 minutes. It was the second of her five aces, each seemingly landing at key moments.

But her chops on return ultimately carried the night. Gauff entered the week third on tour in return games won at just over 44%, trailing only Iga Swiatek and Marta Kostyuk among full-time players.

After Sakkari finally held to open the second set, Gauff broke for 2-1 and later earned a fifth break for a 4-1 before consolidating for 5-1. Sakkari kept fighting, cutting the deficit to 5-4 and saving a match point to push the final game to deuce, but Gauff answered with a bold serve-and-volley to earn a second match point. This time, she converted to push herself through to the Round of 16.

There she will face 19-year-old Alina Korneeva, who upset No. 13 seed Iva Jovic earlier Friday in straight sets. It will be their first meeting.