American tennis star Coco Gauff survived a grueling three-set first-round match at the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
She closed out a service hold at the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium to take the match in two hours and 57 minutes, advancing to the next round.
"It was a tough match. I had chances for it to be straight sets, but Ajla [Tomljanović] was tough," she said of her Australian opponent. "I wasn't the best but yeah, I am happy to get through to the next round."
The No. 3-ranked women's singles star struggled with her serve all night and dropped the second set in a tiebreak, then rallied in the final set to win 6-4, 6-7, 7-5.
The 2023 U.S. Open champion had the home turf crowd behind her all the way through the decisive final set.
"I feel like it's in the right direction, and I think for me it's trying not to go back to old habits in those tighter moments," Gauff said after the match.
