Coco Gauff beats Veronika Kudermetova to advance to last 16

World number two Coco Gauff defeated Russian Veronika Kudermetova 4–6, 7–5, 6–2 to qualify for the last 16 of the Canadian Open here at Centre Court on Thursday.

Top seed Gauff clinched the victory after a hard-fought match that stretched over two and a half hours.

Gauff struggled in the first set but came back strong in the second and third. She played aggressively and clinched the victory from the mouth of Kudermetova.

Reflecting on the match after victory, Gauff explained that it was a tough match and acknowledged the way she came back in the second set and appreciated her opponent, Kudermetova, for serving well.

“It was a tough match,” Gauff said. “I thought I did well mentally, especially on the return. I was playing an opponent that served really well. Obviously, I would like to serve better on my end, but overall, just happy to get through.”

Gauff, No. 2 in the world behind Aryna Sabalenka, entered the week having lost two straight matches since winning the French Open, falling in her opening matches in Berlin and Wimbledon.

She added that after winning the matches, she gets positive feedback if she plays with full strength, and her performance becomes even stronger.

“It does give positives that I am winning these matches having literally one part of my game on a crutch,” Gauff said. “If I can stand on both feet, then I can only imagine that it will be a lot more straight-forward and a lot easier for me,” Gauff concluded.