Coco Gauff didn’t play the best match of her career in the second round of the 2025 Indian Wells Open, but she won, and that’s what counts.
Gauff entered the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells on a three-match losing streak. She lost her quarter-final match at the Australian Open and her first matches in Doha and Dubai.
However, when asked about her losing streak in Indian Wells, the young American didn’t seem to be too bothered by it. She acknowledged that she would face more losing streaks in the future, but was determined to end this one.
Her first opponent was Moyuka Uchijima, who defeated Emma Raducanu in the first round. Uchijima proved to be a challenging opponent, creating trouble for Gauff as well.
The 2023 US Open champion started on the back foot, losing her serve early to trail 1-2. However, Gauff quickly recovered, breaking back and adding another break to take the first set 6-4.
Despite a relatively good set with 80% of rallies won after her first serve, the 20-year-old struggled on her second serve, recording five double faults and winning only two out of nine points after that serve.
The serving issues persisted in the second set, where Gauff made six double faults and won just four out of 15 points on her second serve. Her first serve percentage also dropped.
It wasn’t a strong set for the 2024 WTA Finals champion, as she was broken four times and held serve only once, resulting in a 3-6 loss for that set.
However, Gauff quickly put the disappointing second set behind her and opened the third set strongly, breaking Uchijima’s serve twice to lead 4-0, suggesting she could focus on her post-match meal.
Yet, her opponent didn’t make it easy. Gauff lost her one-break advantage, and despite having one match point on return at 5-3 and another on serve at 5-4, the score was tied at 5-5.
Once again, Gauff demonstrated mental resilience, staying strong and performing better in the closing stages of the match.
The WTA World No. 3 broke her opponent’s serve again, but once more could not serve out the match, necessitating a tie-break to determine the winner.
Gauff excelled in the tie-break, building a 6-2 lead, but failed to convert her first two match points. She finally secured victory on her third match point in the tie-break and fifth overall, winning the match 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4). Her next opponent will be 29th-seeded Maria Sakkari.
