American Coco Gauff gave herself an early birthday present by defeating Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 7-6 (5) on Monday in the third round of the Indian Wells tennis tournament.
Gauff (third), who will celebrate her 20th birthday on Wednesday, struggled early in the match, but found a way to hang on to her serve, erasing 10 of the 11 break points she faced.
This victory extended Gauff’s streak to 18 victories on American soil. His title at the US Open last season is at the heart of this series.
Bronzetti (53e) put herself in a good position to force an extra set by taking a 5-4 lead in the tiebreaker, but Gauff won the next three rallies.
These days, Gauff finds ways to win even if not all of his shots are on point.
“Mentality is why I play and why I’m successful,” said Gauff, who was scheduled to play a women’s doubles match later in the evening. I’m not always at my best, but mentally, when I show that I’m not going to give up every match, it gives the opponent something to think about. »
Gauff will face the Belgian Elise Mertens (28e) in the round of 16. Mertens defeated Naomi Osaka (287e) 7-5 and 6-4. The Japanese was taking part in a fifth tournament since returning from maternity leave.
“Elise, she’s always difficult to face,” Gauff said. It’s never an easy match against her. It doesn’t give much to exploit. For me, I’m just going to have to be aggressive. Also, I will have to trust my shots and trust myself. »
Double Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka (second) defeated Briton Emma Raducanu (250e) by the score of 6-3 and 7-5.
Sabalenka, who is known for smashing her rackets in moments of adversity, managed to remain calm in this duel.
“It’s a new approach in difficult situations,” she said during the television report. Don’t focus on the negative, and try to stay positive. »
Among the men, the Dane Holger Rune (seventh) played his first match and beat the Italian Lorenzo Musetti (26e) 6-2 and 7-6 (5). Rune earned a bye in the first round and took advantage of Canadian Milos Raonic’s withdrawal due to injury to advance to the third round without playing.
“I really wanted to play,” Rune said.
Frenchman Gaël Monfils (54e) worked hard to have the upper hand 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5) and 6-3 against the British Cameron Norrie (28e), who won the tournament in 2021.
Americans Taylor Fritz (12e) and Tommy Paul (17e) both won in two sets.
In the evening, the favorite Novak Djokovic had to face the Italian Luca Nardi (123e), and the Russian Daniil Medvedev (fourth) had an appointment with the American Sebastian Korda (29e).