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Coco Gauff’s Olympic dream continues. The world number 2 advances to the third round after beating Argentina’s Maria Lourdes Carle 6-1, 6-1.
The scoreline suggests Gauff had a tough time defeating Carle, ranked 85th in the world, but it was a battle. Gauff had to work harder to win than she did against Ajla Tomljanovic on Sunday. Gauff took just 57 minutes to defeat Tomljanovic in three sets. Against Carle, the first set alone lasted 46 minutes, although Carle won just one game. But Carle had the power to seriously challenge Gauff. The rallies were longer, lengthening the games.
Carle gave Gauff a legitimate fight, even if the score doesn’t show it. Gauff’s backhand served her well and she wasn’t afraid at the net. Even when Carle kept pushing her back, Gauff never lost her head, remaining fluid and confident throughout. At 20, she plays like a seasoned veteran, which she essentially is: Gauff spent six years on the women’s tour, making her professional debut at 14.
And now Gauff represents Team USA’s best chance at a medal in tennis. (Gauff and her doubles partner, No. 6-ranked Jessica Pegula, won the 2024 French Open last month and are poised to dominate the women’s doubles competition.)
Gauff will face Croatian Donna Vekic, who reached her first Grand Slam semi-final earlier this month at Wimbledon, in the third round.
