Coco Gauff didn't hide her happiness after drastically improving her serve against Jasmine Paolini as the American tennis star says it is exactly what she needed after a poor serving display versus Jessica Pegula.
On Sunday, Gauff made a very rough start to her WTA Finals title defense after she sprayed 17 double faults and lost her serve nine times in a three-set defeat to Pegula. Two days later, the top-ranked American female tennis player returned to the court in Riyadh. But this time, the reigning French Open champion did much better on her serve, hitting only three double faults and dropping her serve only once in a routine 6-3 6-2 win over Paolini.
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Gauff: Only three double faults compared to 17 - that's a big difference
"I'm really happy with how I played today, definitely a turnaround from my first match... I think only three doubles today compared to 17 that's a big difference. I think it just shows that I have the ability to serve like this and it definitely gives me confidence. I think I was on the trajectory in China serving great and I think maybe trying to serve a little bit too hard in that match against Jess," the two-time Grand Slam champion said following her win over Paolini.
On Thursday, Gauff will need to be at her best and deliver another strong serving display since her next rival is world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. A bit interestingly, this will be their first meeting in five months since they haven't clashed against each other since the American came back from a set down to beat the Belarusian in the French Open final.
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While Gauff could still reach the WTA Finals semfinal even with a loss, the win over the Belarusian of course give her the best chance of making it past the group stage.
