Coco Gauff has ‘things to improve’ after season-opening win in Auckland

AUCKLAND – Top seed Coco Gauff admitted that there were “things to improve” on as she overcame a mid-match wobble to beat fellow American Claire Liu in straight sets in the first round of the Auckland Classic on Jan 2.

The US Open champion prevailed 6-4, 6-2 in her first match of the season, while second seed Elina Svitolina was also made to struggle before outlasting Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 in a battle of the comeback mums.

World No. 3 Gauff raced to a 4-0 lead over Liu, ranked 92 places lower, before the fluidity slipped from her game.

She double faulted twice to drop her serve and the gap narrowed to 5-4 when Liu broke again. But the 19-year-old recovered her composure to take the first set when a loose Liu forehand sailed out.

Gauff broke twice more from 3-2 in the second set to move into a second-round meeting with 16-year-old Czech Brenda Fruhvirtova.

She declared herself satisfied with her performance as she began her build-up to the Australian Open, beginning on Jan 14, despite four double faults and a first serve at only 65 per cent.

“I definitely needed to be tested and I feel like I played well today for my first match in a while,” declared Gauff, who is defending the Auckland title she won in 2023.

“There are obviously things I can do to improve but I’m happy with the win,” she added.

Svitolina and Wozniacki, who both returned to the WTA circuit in 2023 after maternity leave, battled for 1hr 45min before Svitolina triumphed.

The former world No. 3 from Ukraine won the opening two games before Wozniacki fought back to lead 4-3.

But another break enabled Svitolina to take the first set 6-4.

She built a 4-1 lead in the second set but Wozniacki refused to yield and won the next two games before the Ukrainian stretched away again.

“It was really special for me to get such a great win today against Caroline,” said Svitolina, who took a year off to start a family while Wozniacki was away for nearly three years.

“She’s a great player and I’m really glad she came back,” added the 29-year-old, who will face former US Open champion Emma Raducanu of Britain in the second round.

Raducanu was troubled by Elena-Gabriela Ruse’s power play in a match in which there were 11 service breaks.

After she won the first set 6-3 and Ruse the second 6-4, the 21-year-old led 5-2 in the third then dropped her serve twice before taking the decider 7-5.

Petra Martic, the seventh seed from Croatia, recovered from a slow start in which she dropped her opening serve and the first set to beat 2023’s beaten finalist in Auckland, Rebeka Masarova of Spain, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. AFP