Coco Gauff narrowly survived Moyuka Uchijima to reach the third round of the BNP Paribas Open 6-4 3-6 7-6(4). In her words, she was “just happy to get through it” in the end. The American, who has had a modest start to the season with first-round defeats in Qatar and Dubai, was not thrilled with her performance.
The third seed racked up 21 double faults during the match but remained optimistic in her post-match comments: “Off the ground I felt pretty good, honestly. I think if I just double-faulted less it could have probably been a straight-set match. I felt off the ground like I was dictating more of the rallies.”
Entering the press conference at Indian Wells, the 20-year-old believed she would be facing the winner of Belinda Bencic vs. Amanda Anisimova. However, she was caught off guard when Women’s Tennis Blog informed her that her next opponent would be Maria Sakkari. The Greek player had defeated her 6-4 6(5)-7 6-2 in their most recent encounter—the 2024 BNP Paribas Open semifinal.
Reflecting on last year’s encounter, the 2023 US Open champion mainly remembered the disruptive weather: “That was such a long kind of day. It was rainy and we stopped and started so many times.” Despite the challenging conditions, her opponent’s experience shone through: “She was playing pretty aggressive. Every time I play her, it’s a tough match. She’s a very athletic player. Big on both sides. Same with the serve.”
Previewing what she needs to do to walk away with the win this time, Gauff said: “My keys will be to focus on my end of the court and accept that she’s going to hit some great shots. She’s a great player. I think just trying to focus on my end and be ready and know that it’s going to be a physical match.”
Maria Sakkari reached the third round with a 6-0 6-3 victory over Viktoriya Tomova. Like Gauff, her start to the season has been a slow one with two first round losses, but Indian Wells is a magical place for her: “There’s something special when I come here that just feels so good. I just feel that I don’t want to lose. So that’s extra motivation.”
Adding to the special experience, the 29th seed was joined by her boyfriend and sister, who flew in to spend time with her. Known for her love of In-N-Out burgers, she jokingly lamented the watchful eye of her fitness coach. Laughing, she told Women’s Tennis Blog, “He is so strict, so we’ve been eating very healthy at home. Maybe once the tournament is over.”
Asked about memories of last year’s semifinal victory, the former world number three shook her head and said, “I remember I was a set and five-one up and I lost the second set. That’s what I remember.” Despite that, the lasting impact of that match was a boost of confidence: “I was very proud of how I came back and won the third set because I think I played a great game and the tactic super clear on what I had to do.”
The rematch clash will be played Monday.
Women’s Tennis Blog