Coco Gauff, the American tennis sensation, has conceded that her serving game was subpar during her hard-fought win against Japanese player, Moyuka Uchijima, at Indian Wells. Despite her serving struggles, she insisted that if it hadn’t been for her serving issues, the match would’ve been a straightforward victory.
The California title is currently in Gauff’s crosshairs, with a third-round clash against Maria Sakkari on the horizon. The initial phase of her match against Uchijima saw Gauff seize the advantage, taking the first set 6-4. However, the Japanese player rallied and forced the match into a deciding third set by winning the second set 6-3.
A gruelling third set ensued, with both players battling fiercely for supremacy. Despite the arduous fight, Gauff emerged victorious in a tiebreak, marking the end of a match that spanned over two and a half hours.
In the aftermath of the match, Gauff was queried about which aspects of her game she believed needed improvement for her to triumph at Indian Wells. In response, the 20-year-old was candid, acknowledging her need to improve her serving game.
“My serve, definitely, needs work. I need to get more serves into the court. Aside from that, I felt quite comfortable with my ground game. In fact, I believe a reduction in double faults could have made this a straight-set match,” Gauff said.
Gauff’s recent performances on the court have been challenging, marked by consecutive losses against Marta Kostyuk and McCartney Kessler in the Middle East. She was defeated 2-0 by Kostyuk in the first match of the Qatar Open in mid-February and similarly dispatched 2-0 by Kessler in her first match at the Dubai Tennis Championships a week later.
Reflecting on these recent setbacks, Gauff admitted to a rough few weeks but expressed relief at securing a win against Uchijima. “It’s been tough, and I’m just relieved to have a win under my belt. No one enjoys losing, and I brought a lot of determination into this match. Even though it wasn’t my best performance, a win is a win.”
Next in line for Gauff at Indian Wells is a match against Sakkari on Monday. Sakkari secured her spot in the tournament’s last-32 by convincingly beating Viktoriya Tomova 6-0, 6-3 on Saturday. Gauff’s chances at the title will heavily depend on her ability to improve her serve and maintain her ground game, which she seems confident about.
