Coco Gauff survives wobble to beat Kanepi in Parma

The American threw away a 5-1 lead in the second set but held on to advance to the last 16

Coco Gauff in action on clay in Rome, 2021 (Panoramic)

May 18, 2021

American teenager Coco Gauff survived a second-set wobble before beating Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7) on Tuesday to reach the last 16 of the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma.

The 17-year-old, who reached the semi-finals in Rome last week, snatched the opener on the tiebreak after Kanepi had served for the set at 5-4.

The American then charged ahead 5-1 in the second set but world No 66 Kanepi won five straight games to lead 6-5 and had two set points in the tiebreak only for Gauff to hold firm and clinch a hard-fought victory.

“I was up, she started to play better and I started to be a bit more passive but to be honest it was just a fight from the beginning to the end,” Gauff said after their two-hour, 17-minute battle.

Gauff will now play Camila Giorgi of Italy for a place in the quarter-finals.