Coco Gauff’s US Open campaign began with a thriller on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The American star didn’t have things all her own way on Tuesday evening as she was pushed all the way by Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.
After Gauff won the first set 6-4, her Australian opponent fought back to take the second set in a tiebreaker 7-6 [7-2].
It looked as though the third was heading to a tiebreaker as well before Gauff snatched a late break at 5-5, and held on to the advantage, securing the win in two hours, 57 minutes.
The win was her first since Gauff replaced Matt Daly with Gavin MacMillan, as the 21-year-old commented on her new coach during her post-match interview.
Coco Gauff says she is ‘mentally exhausted’, but can already see improvements in her serve
Asked about her recent coaching hire, Gauff admitted things haven’t been easy, but suggested the improvements are already noticeable.
“Really tough, mentally exhausting, but I’m trying,” she said.
“It wasn’t the best today, at 30-30 it came in when it mattered, but you know it’s an improvement from the last week in Cincy, so I’m just trying to improve with each match.”
Gauff’s serve was particularly poor at the Cincinnati Open, making a worryingly high number of double faults.
While the sample size isn’t the largest, the number was much more manageable during her first-round win at Flushing Meadows.
| Match | Opponent | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve |
| 2025 US Open 1R (three sets) | Ajla Tomljanovic | 4 | 10 | 60% | 66% | 60% |
| 2025 Cincinnati Open QF (three sets) | Jasmine Paolini | 2 | 16 | 66% | 64% | 46% |
| 2025 Cincinnati Open 4R (two sets) | Lucia Bronzetti | 6 | 3 | 79% | 63% | 0% |
| 2025 Cincinnati Open 2R (two sets) | Wang Xinyu | 5 | 8 | 58% | 74% | 65% |
When she was tested in a three-setter at the Cincinnati Open, Gauff made 16 double faults against Jasmine Paolini, a contributing factor in her 6-2, 4-6, 3-6 defeat.
While there is clearly still work to be done with the serve, Gauff will try to enjoy the win for now, scraping through to the second round of the US Open in front of her adoring home fans.
“It was a tough match, I had chances for it to be won in straight sets, but Ajla [Tomljanovic] was tough,” said Gauff.
“I felt like she was getting so many balls back, and I was trying to push her back, and she was standing on top of the baseline, but yeah, it wasn’t the best, but I’m happy to get through to the next round.
“I had so many chances, I was like, eventually it will come. I had chances to close out in two, I had chances to go up a double break so many times, I was like, eventually one of these are going to go my way, and it ended up happening in that game [5-5 in the third set].
Pleased with the win, Gauff will soon turn her attention to round two and a clash with an Olympic silver medalist.
Coco Gauff and Donna Vekic’s head-to-head record
Also making hard work of her first-round match, Donna Vekic defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in three sets, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The unseeded Croat will now prepare for her third career meeting with Gauff, having previously played her in Paris last year and at the United Cup this January.
- 2025 United Cup RR – Coco Gauff defeated Donna Vekic, 6-4, 6-2
- 2025 Olympics 3R – Donna Vekic defeated Coco Gauff, 7-6, 6-2
Picking up one of the biggest wins of her career at the 2024 Olympic Games, Vekic took down Gauff in straight sets to book her place in the quarterfinals.
She proceeded to take home the silver medal, one of the biggest accomplishments of her 10+ year WTA Tour career.
Gauff took revenge at the United Cup earlier this year, but will be looking for more on the Grand Slam stage.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious when Gauff takes on Vekic for a place in the third round of the 2025 US Open on Thursday, August 28.
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