Coco Gauff rallies for third-round victory in Montreal
Top-seeded Coco Gauff overcame a slow start to earn a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Russia's Veronika Kudermetova on Thursday in the third round of the National Bank Open in Montreal.
Kudermetova, after winning the first set, broke serve to open the second set. She had another break point at 1-3 but couldn't take advantage, and Gauff soon broke back to pull level at 3-3.
Gauff broke again in the final game of the set to pull even, then won the first three games of the final set and cruised to the finish.
Regarding the second-set rally, Gauff said, 'I just think I got really upset with myself and I was just like, 'You know, just try to hit the ball hard and deep in the court.' Eventually I was able to turn that anger into something more positive.'
The 21-year-old Floridian added, 'It was a tough match today. I thought I did well mentally, especially on the return. I was playing an opponent that served really well.
'Obviously I would like to serve better on my end, but overall, just happy to get through.'
The result sends the reigning French Open champion to a fourth-round matchup against Canadian Victoria Mboko, who also won Thursday after dropping the first set. Mboko prevailed 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 against the Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova.
In the final two sets combined, Mboko saved four of the five break points she faced.
No. 30 seed Dayana Yastremska, the Ukrainian who upset Gauff in the first round at Wimbledon, knocked off another seeded U.S. player on Thursday. She got past No. 8 Emma Navarro 7-5, 6-4.
No. 28 McCartney Kessler emerged with a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over No. 4 Mirra Andreeva of Russia in a match that featured 13 service breaks.
No. 24 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine logged the day's tightest win, slipping past No. 15 Daria Kasatkina of Australia 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Kostyuk will oppose Kessler in the fourth round.
Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro overtook Japan's Aoi Ito 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, and China's Lin Zhu downed the Netherlands' Suzan Lamens 6-2, 6-2.
In the final match of the night, No. 9 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 6-0, 7-6 (5).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton advance to National Bank Open semifinals
Taylor Fritz of the United States hits a forehand return to Russia's Andrey Rublev during their quarterfinal match at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn FNG flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Naomi Osaka powers into semifinals in Montreal, will face Clara Tauson
Published Aug 05, 2025 • Last updated 0 minutes ago • 2 minute read Naomi Osaka of Japan hits a return to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during quarterfinal tennis action at the National Bank Open in Montreal, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. Photo by Christinne Muschi / THE CANADIAN PRESS MONTREAL — Naomi Osaka powered into her first National Bank Open semifinal, beating No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday night. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Osaka advanced to face No. 16 seed Clara Tauson, who eliminated sixth-seeded Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4 in the first quarterfinal of the night. Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion who reached No. 1 in the rankings, continued her best performance in a WTA 1000 tournament since reaching the final in Miami in 2022. She stepped away from tennis for 15 months toward the end of that season and had daughter Shai in July 2023. The native of Japan is seeking her eighth career title and her first since the 2021 Australian Open. Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko takes on ninth seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the other semifinal Wednesday. Mboko, who's playing in her first main draw at the National Bank Open, will rise into the WTA's top 50 after beginning the year outside the top 300. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 18-year-old from Toronto has defeated five higher-ranked opponents en route to the semifinals, including top seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round. Tauson dedicated her victory to her grandfather, Peter, during an on-court interview at IGA Stadium. 'I really wanted to win for him today,' she told the crowd before breaking down in tears. 'I really wanted to come out here and show my best tennis for him, and hopefully he's watching.' Tauson said she only found out about her grandfather's death on Monday, a day after she eliminated Wimbledon champion and No. 3-ranked Iga Swiatek 7-6 (1), 6-3. She spoke of him as one of the biggest supporters of her career. 'He used to coach me a little bit playing tennis and drove me to almost every single practice from my school,' the 22-year-old native of Denmark said. 'It was tough news yesterday morning when I woke up, but I think it's for the better. He was not feeling great for a while.' Tauson hasn't lost a set in the tournament. Keys failed to convert two break chances in the first game. After the American held serve, Tauson won the ensuing five games to take the first set. 'Not my best performance out there today,' said Keys, who won this year's Australian Open. 'She played amazing tonight. She played incredibly well, she served really well. It was just one of those things where I felt like I kept trying different things, and she was just beating me. 'When she's serving like that, it's going to be really hard to break her.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO Columnists World Toronto Maple Leafs Canada Opinion
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Naomi Osaka powers into semifinals in Montreal, will face Clara Tauson
MONTREAL (AP) — Naomi Osaka powered into her first National Bank Open semifinal, beating No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday night. Osaka advanced to face No. 16 seed Clara Tauson, who eliminated sixth-seeded Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4 in the first quarterfinal of the night. Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion who reached No. 1 in the rankings, continued her best performance in a WTA 1000 tournament since reaching the final in Miami in 2022. She stepped away from tennis for 15 months toward the end of that season and had daughter Shai in July 2023. The native of Japan is seeking her eighth career title and her first since the 2021 Australian Open. Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko takes on ninth seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the other semifinal Wednesday. Mboko, who's playing in her first main draw at the National Bank Open, will rise into the WTA's top 50 after beginning the year outside the top 300. The 18-year-old from Toronto has defeated five higher-ranked opponents en route to the semifinals, including top seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round. Tauson dedicated her victory to her grandfather, Peter, during an on-court interview at IGA Stadium. 'I really wanted to win for him today,' she told the crowd before breaking down in tears. 'I really wanted to come out here and show my best tennis for him, and hopefully he's watching.' Tauson said she only found out about her grandfather's death on Monday, a day after she eliminated Wimbledon champion and No. 3-ranked Iga Swiatek 7-6 (1), 6-3. She spoke of him as one of the biggest supporters of her career. 'He used to coach me a little bit playing tennis and drove me to almost every single practice from my school,' the 22-year-old native of Denmark said. 'It was tough news yesterday morning when I woke up, but I think it's for the better. He was not feeling great for a while.' Tauson hasn't lost a set in the tournament. Keys failed to convert two break chances in the first game. After the American held serve, Tauson won the ensuing five games to take the first set. 'Not my best performance out there today,' said Keys, who won this year's Australian Open. 'She played amazing tonight. She played incredibly well, she served really well. It was just one of those things where I felt like I kept trying different things, and she was just beating me. 'When she's serving like that, it's going to be really hard to break her.' ___ AP tennis:
