Coco Gauff battles past Jasmine Paolini in Adelaide

Coco Gauff is up and running at the Adelaide International. 

Adelaide International: Draw | Order of Play

The 16-year-old American came through a clash of qualifiers with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2 to book a second-round clash with No 6-seeded Petra Martic of Croatia. 

The No 52-ranked American was made to work much harder than she had hoped, as Paolini saved a match point at 4-5, 30-40 in the second set and later came through in a tiebreaker to level at a set apiece. 

Gauff emerged ever determined as the third set commenced and, thanks to steady shotmaking, soon worked her way to a double-break 4-1 lead. 

Gauff saved eight of the eleven break points she faced in the contest, including a crucial one which enabled her to maintain her double-break cushion at 5-1 in the final set. 

25-year-old Paolini, ranked 99, was exceptionally resilient in the middle set as she rallied from 2-5 down, but she couldn’t replicate the achievement in the decider. 

She held to get to 2-5, but Gauff was finally able to lock down the victory with a strong service hold in the next game. Facing a break point at 30-40 the American rifled a backhand crosscourt winner to get to deuce. A second match point went begging, as Gauff netted a forehand, but the teenager was third-time lucky as she cracked a backhand winner down the line to wrap up the victory in two hours and 31 minutes. 

Coco gets it done!@CocoGauff will face No. 6 seed Martic in Round 2 after edging Paolini 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2.#AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/qLVyVvHcDO

— wta (@WTA) February 23, 2021

The American had to battle hard just to make the main draw. She defeated Francesca Jones and Kaja Juvan to get through qualifying over the weekend in Adelaide. She trailed Juvan by a set and 3-0, but rallied past the world No 91 for a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.

Gauff has not won back-to-back main draw matches at the tour-level since her first week back on the tour after the WTA’s resumption last summer, at Lexington. 

Swiatek eases past Brengle 

2020 Roland-Garros champion Iga Swiatek powered past American Madison Brengle 6-3, 6-4 in 73 minutes on Tuesday. The Polish teenager, who reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open, will face either Samantha Stosur or Maddison Inglis on the second-round.

Into Round 2️⃣ and in the groove here in Adelaide 😎@iga_swiatek moves past Brengle, 6-3, 6-4.#AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/n0hQntfsAO

— wta (@WTA) February 23, 2021