Coco Gauff has brushed aside many of the doubts that surrounded her US Open title defense by cruising into the third round in clinical fashion.
Alarm bells began to ring pre-tournament when Gauff experienced a blip in form during Toronto and Cincinnati, but these have since passed with two convincing wins.
The American captured the hearts of her country last year when she became the first native teenager to win at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.
Despite all of the negative headlines surrounding her, the 20-year-old is back in New York with a point to prove.
Gauff is not the in-form player she was when she was coming into the tournament last year, but she has come out of the blocks firing in her bid to reclaim the US Open title.
What did Coco Gauff do on the practice court after her US Open triumph?
Coco Gauff blitzed past Tatjana Maria in one hour and 20 minutes, winning 6-4 6-0 to set up a third-round clash with Elina Svitolina.
The world number three has dropped just six games to this point, making light work of the early stages.
But following her straight-sets win over the German, Gauff felt the need to head straight back to the practice court to polish a certain part of her game.
“I just hit serves, I didn’t serve great at all,” Gauff said in her post-match press conference. “I got lucky and only got broken once but probably could, and should, have been broken a couple more times.
“Off the ground I felt fine, I felt like I was playing well off the ground for the most part, obviously in the first set I probably had more errors but when you play against her you have to expect to miss sometimes but you don’t want to get into a pushing rally.
“I just hit more serves and I really only do it when I don’t feel great after a match. My first round, even though it was a quick match, I didn’t go back out after, as I felt great.
“Sometimes I just like to leave with that feeling but today I didn’t feel great after. But I knew literally before the match I thought if I won I am going to go back and practice again.”
Gauff’s maturity continues to shine through
Having suffered early exits in Toronto and Cincinnati, the reigning US Open champion will be reassured to have hit the ground running this week.
Compatriot Madison Keys earlier commented on Gauff’s maturity, despite the weight of expectation that is assigned to her.
This is once again coming to the fore as she looks locked in after two convincing victories.
With Aryna Sabalenka back to her blistering best and announcing herself as the red-hot favorite, Gauff’s recent run of form may play a helping hand in her run.
Expectations have been significantly lowered in comparison to the stellar US swing she enjoyed last season, but the world number three remains as dangerous as ever.
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