Top-seeded Coco Gauff overcame a slow start to earn a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Thursday in the third round of the National Bank Open in Montreal.
Kudermetova, after winning the first set, broke serve to open the second set. She had another break point at 1-3 but couldn’t take advantage, and Gauff soon broke back to pull level at 3-3.
Gauff broke again in the final game of the set to pull even, then won the first three games of the final set and cruised to the finish.
Regarding the second-set rally, Gauff said, “I just think I got really upset with myself and I was just like, ‘You know, just try to hit the ball hard and deep in the court.’ Eventually I was able to turn that anger into something more positive.”
The 21-year-old Floridian added, “It was a tough match today. I thought I did well mentally, especially on the return. I was playing an opponent that served really well.
“Obviously I would like to serve better on my end, but overall, just happy to get through.”
The result sends the reigning French Open champion to a fourth-round matchup against Canadian Victoria Mboko, who also won Thursday after dropping the first set. Mboko prevailed 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 against the Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova.
In the final two sets combined, Mboko saved four of the five break points she faced.
No. 30 seed Dayana Yastremska, the Ukrainian who upset Gauff in the first round at Wimbledon, knocked off another seeded U.S. player on Thursday. She got past No. 8 Emma Navarro 7-5, 6-4.
No. 28 McCartney Kessler emerged with a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over No. 4 Mirra Andreeva of Russia in a match that featured 13 service breaks.
No. 24 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine logged the day’s tightest win, slipping past No. 15 Daria Kasatkina of Australia 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Kostyuk will oppose Kessler in the fourth round.
Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro overtook Japan’s Aoi Ito 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, and China’s Lin Zhu downed the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens 6-2, 6-2.
In the final match of the night, No. 9 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-0, 7-6 (5).
–Field Level Media
