Coco Gauff Credits Offseason Training for Thrilling Match Victory at WTA Melbourne 2

Teenage sensation Coco Gauff won a closely fought three-set match against 57th ranked Jil Teichmann at WTA Gippsland Trophy, also known as WTA Melbourne 2. Gauff is seeded 14th and these tough outings will prepare Gauff ahead of the Australian Open 2021.

In her post-match interview, Gauff reacted to the aggressive approach of her opponent after the first set.

“Yeah, definitely, today was a tough match she definitely stepped it up and started being more aggressive than I thought it was the whole match.”

Furthermore, Gauff’s intensity didn’t drop in the third set. This is a good sign ahead of the Australian Open 2021.

“Honestly, just being positive and mentally it was definitely a challenging match I feel like for both of us. And I think also like all the training I did on the offseason was able to go through three tough sets and not feel that tired.”

Coco Gauff vs Jil Teichmann: First Set

The match started off on a close note as both the players were cautious. At 3-2, Teichmann started looking shaky and almost gave away her serve. But then at 4-3, a couple of unforced errors and double faults from Teichmann gave Gauff the break, and she served for the set. Gauff then easily closed out the opening set 6-3.

Gauff vs Teichmann: Second Set

Again taking momentum from the first set, Gauff started strongly. Gauff broke Teichmann in a lengthy first game, often finding the lines and hitting deep balls close to the baseline. But Teichmann was also not letting it go.

Gauff tried a few drop shots but failed and Teichmann broke back to level the second set 4-4. From here the second set went to the tiebreaker where Gauff saved two consecutive set points to level the tiebreaker 6-6. But Teichmann didn’t miss the next set point at 7-6 and sealed the second set.

Gauff vs Teichmann: Third Set

The momentum had shifted towards Teichmann following the second set. Teichmann broke Gauff in the first game itself and Gauff looked like she had lost hope. However, down 0-1, Gauff won four consecutive games to lead 4-1. Teichmann restored parity by making it 4-4.

The match then proceeded to the final set tiebreaker where Gauff narrowly beat Teichmann 7-5 and won the match 6-3, (6)6-7, 7-6(5).

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