Coco Gauff had lost her last two matches against Paula Badosa before their meeting inside Arthur Ashe Stadium Thursday night in the second round of the U.S. Open, most recently on grass in June at the Berlin Tennis Open.
And despite having lost five of their eight matches, the 22-year-old American was still the overwhelming favorite.
Narrowly evading a deciding third set, Gauff ultimately prevailed in a tight 6-4, 7-6(5) win — her eighth straight victory to make it 16 sets in a row — to advance to the third round in Flushing for a fifth straight year.
Throwing both her fists up in the air, Gauff let out an emphatic scream to celebrate.
She will face Spain’s Cristina Bucșa on Saturday.
“I think it’s good to be battle-tested,” Gauff said. “When I won here in 2023, I think I went three sets what felt like every match. … I think, for me, it’s a good confidence booster knowing that I can get through these matches. Obviously, I would prefer maybe not to play someone who I’ve lost to so many times in the second round, but I think today was a big confidence booster, and I think getting through in straight sets, too, makes a big difference.”
Serving for the match twice before prevailing in the second-set tiebreak, Gauff admitted Badosa was not someone she wanted to see so early in her draw.
The 28-year-old Badosa has also been ranked as high as world No. 2, which Gauff pointed out during her on-court interview.
Badosa was playing for a third consecutive day after she was forced to finish her first-round match Wednesday due to rain earlier this week, but she still pushed Gauff like usual.
Gauff also said she had some nerves during the match.
That much was evident early on in the first set, as the world No. 4 struggled to hold serve through the first few games. She had to come back from down 40-15 in her first service game to keep pace with Barbosa.
By the sixth game, however, Gauff was putting the ball right where she wanted it.
Both players traded off breaks in the second set before heading to a competitive tiebreak, which saw Badosa keep a close distance. She was able to knot the score at three-all, but Gauff came through for the victory.
Gauff’s serve, which is much-improved and continues to be a hot topic, reached 121 mph Thursday night.
Asked if she thinks she’d be able to hit 130 mph, Gauff couldn’t say for sure.
“I don’t know if I can or not, that’s a good question,” she said. “We’ll see at the end of my career if I can. Maybe if if I’m up, like really up in a match, I might go for it. Sometimes, when I am up, I try to go for it. But I find when I don’t go for it, that’s when the speed is higher so. I don’t know, you have to just catch me on a real relaxed day.”
Gauff is one of four women competing in the U.S. Open who could be world No. 1 by the tournament’s end.
Fellow American Jessica Pegula previously said she dreamed of being No. 1 in the world, rather than winning a Grand Slam.
Asked how she viewed the two, Gauff said it was the opposite for her.
“I’ve never thought about being number one,” she said. “I think just growing up watching Serena [Williams] play. … It was very clear she was focused on the Slam. So I think growing up watching her play, I just always had that mentality. Yes, it would be cool to be number one, but it’s not something that I’ve thought about, to be honest.
“I definitely care, but I don’t think it’s something I’ll be nervous about. Honestly, if it happens, great. If not, no. I’m just more focused on winning Slams.”
