World No. 3 Coco Gauff battled past Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(7) victory on Saturday, securing her first match win since the Australian Open at the Indian Wells Open, MySportDab Reports.
Despite struggling with 21 double faults and a series of unforced errors, the 2023 US Open champion showed grit and determination to edge past Uchijima in a tense three-set battle.
Gauff, who had suffered early exits in Qatar and Dubai following her Australian Open quarter-final loss, admitted relief at getting back to winning ways.
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks, and I’m just happy to get a win on the court,” Gauff said. “It wasn’t my best tennis, but a win is a win.”
After receiving a first-round bye, Gauff faced a resilient Uchijima, ranked 52nd, who had defeated Britain’s Emma Raducanu in straight sets.
The American seemed poised for a comfortable win when she stormed to a 4-0 lead in the third set. However, Uchijima, who received medical treatment before the set, fought back to level the contest, forcing a tiebreak.
Gauff twice failed to serve out the match but finally converted her fifth match point to seal victory after two hours and 45 minutes on court.
Up next, Gauff faces a familiar opponent in Greece’s Maria Sakkari, who ended her own three-match losing streak with a dominant 6-0, 6-3 win over Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova.
Sakkari defeated Gauff in the semi-finals last year en route to her second Indian Wells final in three years, setting up an intriguing rematch.
With her confidence restored, Gauff will aim for a much-improved performance as she looks to make a deep run in the tournament.
