After fifty-nine errors, Gauff manages to get past Tomljanovic in a thrilling three-hour match at Flushing Meadows.

NEW YORK, Aug 27 — Former champion Coco Gauff advanced to the second round of the US Open yesterday, narrowly defeating Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in a three-hour match filled with errors.

Third seed Gauff secured her place in the second round by overcoming a series of self-imposed mistakes, winning the match with scores of 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 7-5, which lasted for 2 hours and 57 minutes.

"The match was quite challenging. Ajla proved to be formidable, consistently returning numerous balls," stated Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion.

It wasn't perfect, but I'm glad to move on to the next round.

Gauff, the current French Open champion, made changes to her coaching staff just before the US Open to improve her inconsistent service game.

Based on what we saw on Tuesday night, the 21-year-old American has a lot to improve if she wants a real shot at going far in New York.

Gauff ended the match with an astonishing 59 unforced errors and 10 double faults. She was broken six times and moves on to the second round, aware that a tougher opponent than Tomljanovic could have taken advantage of those errors.

Tomljanovic faced her own challenges, experiencing eight service breaks and committing 56 unforced errors before being eliminated.

Gauff acknowledged that her chaotic preparation for the tournament had been exhausting.

"To be honest, it has been very challenging and mentally draining," Gauff stated. "I’m doing my best. Today wasn’t great, but it was better than last week (in Cincinnati); I’m just working on getting better with every match."

Gauff is set to play against Croatia's Donna Vekic in the upcoming round. — AFP