Coco Gauff is a Masters 1000 finalist once again, having crawled through tonight’s match against Qinwen Zheng by the skin of her teeth.
The victory was unsurprisingly far from routine, with her opponent actually serving for both sets but failing to convert.
That proved to be the tale of the tape in the end, with serving one of many weaknesses that the two exhibited.
Laura Robson, who partnered Andy Murray during their 2012 run to Olympic silver, outlined them.
Weakness in Coco Gauff’s game pinpointed during Italian Open match
Speaking live on Sky Sports Tennis after Gauff claimed the first-set tiebreak, Robson claimed: ’It’s not a set either player will want to watch the replay of. We can all agree on that.
‘Just tough. Tough for both of them to find their balance, especially on Coco’s forehand. At times I’m holding my breath because she’s really falling backwards on the shot when she’s in the motion. You can just see her upper body almost collapse a little bit. We haven’t seen that from her this tournament, she’s been so steady on her feet.
‘Just mentally so strong to be able to deal with those conditions, to deal with the fact that she’s not playing her best by any means and that her opponent isn’t giving her much rhythm either, and the confusing matchup in those terms.’
After criticism of Zheng’s backhand, Robson continued: ‘I can’t look away. I’ll be honest. It’s been so dramatic, maybe in all the wrong ways, but I’m enjoying it nonetheless.’
The 31-year-old also outlined an area of weakness in Gauff’s game that she hoped would clear up in the second set, stating: ‘Just get back to the basics with the footwork, get a bit lower with the legs, and just release that arm on the forehand.
‘I think once that’s in control then the second serve will clear up, because that’s the other area of her game that she’s struggling with. They kind of go hand in hand.’
Gauff predicted a tough match vs Zheng, and that’s exactly what she got.
A lack of quality between Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng
Despite her victory over the Chinese superstar, as Robson alludes to, it was not a match for the tennis purists.
It lacked real quality both in the serving and the groundstrokes, with Zheng in particular suffering from some costly double faults at key moments.
However, when put under pressure, Gauff would crumble right back, making for a topsy-turvy affair that saw both players break with ease.
Fortunately for the American, she came out on top. On another day, it could have been Zheng in her position.
Regardless, she is in the final, but will be forced to perform at a much higher level if she is to overcome hometown favourite Jasmine Paolini.
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