Coco Gauff overcame a huge scare to record a hard-fought, three-set victory against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in a jittery US Open first round at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night.
The 2023 champion was far from her best in an error-strewn display against the World 79 but did just about enough to avoid a second successive first-round exit at a grand slam after falling at the first hurdle at Wimbledon a month ago.
Tuesday’s first-round match was defined not by eye-catching winners, but by unforced errors, with both players producing far more mistakes than moments of quality. It was a contest that frequently produced lengthy and draining rallies that saw both players make uncharacteristic mistakes.
Both players also struggled on serve throughout, with Gauff worryingly broken on six