Coco Gauff fights tears, 8 double faults to win at US Open - ESPN

NEW YORK — Coco Gauff kept wiping the tears welling in her eyes between points in her second-round match at the US Open on Thursday night, trying to stay composed, trying to give herself a chance to win.

Gauff's serving troubles were again an issue, just as they were two nights earlier, just as they've been for a while now. The two-time Grand Slam champion teamed up with a new coach recently to try to fix that aspect of her game, and though there clearly is still work to be done, Gauff figured out how to stay in the tournament, beating Donna Vekic 7-6 (5), 6-2 in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

«Honestly, today was a tough match for me. But I'm just happy with how I was able to manage. It's been a rough couple weeks,» Gauff said during her on-court interview before pausing as she began to cry.

There were shouts of encouragement from spectators, and Gauff continued: «I'm doing this for myself, but I'm also doing it for you. No matter how tough it gets inside, you can do it.»

Gauff won the US Open in 2023 as a teenager, then added a French Open trophy this June. At the most recent Slam, Wimbledon, Gauff exited in the first round.

Her serving woes resurface from time to time, including when 19 double faults contributed to a loss that ended her title defense in New York a year ago. She leads the tour with more than 300 double faults this season — 23 in one match not long ago — and hired biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, credited with rebuilding No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka's serve, shortly before this US Open.

In the first round, Gauff needed three sets to get past Ajla Tomljanovic in part because of double faults.

But as in that match, Gauff's defense and superiority at the baseline carried her past Vekic.

Vekic, who beat Gauff at