On Tuesday, Coco Gauff delighted the Fed Cup crowd with a record-setting performance. She crushed Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-2 in only 79 minutes at the Italian Open in Rome. This win represents Gauff’s second career victory over Raducanu, further indication of the American’s increasing expertise on the red clay. Gauff has outlasted her opponents once more, winning eight of her past nine matches on clay. By achieving all this, she cements her status as the most dangerous competitor as she marches towards the French Open.
Gauff’s supremacy was clear right from the outset on Campo Centrale. She successfully converted 39 of 59 service points and broke Raducanu’s serve four times. The young American showed incredible poise during the final, giving her opponent only three games to win.
The win was all the sweeter for Gauff, who has undergone tremendous changes to her game. Over the last two weeks, she’s focused on improving her footwork. This rigorous conditioning and training helps her to ace the clay season, and the eventual Roland Garros. Brilliant in her own right, reflecting on her performance, Gauff mentioned her forehand as an essential element to her plus play.
“I think, today, (it) was the reason why I won the match.” – Coco Gauff
While understanding the difficulties of transitioning to a new surface, Gauff remained optimistic about her recent play. “It still feels so slow compared to Madrid,” she noted, referencing her recent performance at the Madrid Open where she finished as a runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka. That loss is still Gauff’s only defeat on clay this year.
With this victory, Gauff is now set to face world No. 7 Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Her goal this year is to win an unprecedented fifth title in this widely regarded tournament.
Gauff’s recent flurry of success only highlights how well she is playing at this important juncture in the tennis calendar. The French Open is right around the corner! She’s certainly setting herself up to be a dark horse contender by using her talents and newfound success on clay to her advantage.
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