"The only numbers that truly counted in the end, of course, were the ones on the Arthur Ashe Stadium scoreboard, and those showed that the No. 3-seeded Gauff held on for a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 victory over Ajla Tomljanovic to reach the second round at Flushing Meadows. "It wasn't the best," Gauff said, "but I'm happy to get through.""
"Nothing came easily. Gauff twice led by a break in the second set but couldn't end things. She went up 5-3 in the third and served for the victory at 5-4, but double-faulted twice in a row and missed a pair of forehands to make it 5-all. "Staying close also puts her under pressure to serve it out," Tomljanovic said. "In the first round, even if you're Coco, it's never easy." That slip-up could have been too much to take for Gauff."
Coco Gauff struggled with her serve, double-faulting 10 times and being broken six times, but she prevailed 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 over Ajla Tomljanovic to reach the U.S. Open second round. She twice led by a break in the second set but could not close it. She served for the match at 5-4 in the third, double-faulted twice and fell to 5-all before breaking back. Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics expert who helped Aryna Sabalenka, recently joined her coaching team and watched from her guest box. The contest lasted nearly three hours.
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