Coco GAUFF celebrates her 20th birthday with a victory over Elise MERTENS at Indian Wells

WTA
Wednesday, 13 March 2024 at 22:29
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Coco Gauff (No. 3) swept aside Elise Mertens (No. 24) with a score of 6-0, 6-2, advancing to the quarterfinals of Indian Wells. The American was overpowering from the beginning of the match and secures her spot among the top eight in a WTA 1000 for the 12th time in her career at just 20 years old.
From the start, Gauff showcased a high level of tennis and seized her first break opportunity to take a 2-0 lead. Despite Mertens later having a sole break chance, Gauff navigated through the only challenging moment of the set.
The Belgian player won only 22% of the points with her first serve and 29% with the second, in addition to squandering her lone break opportunity. Gauff took the initiative to lead the points from the baseline, especially with her backhand, avoiding long exchanges and securing six consecutive games to finish the first set 6-0 in just 25 minutes.
In the second set, Gauff maintained her excellent form and broke her opponent again to go up 2-0. It was only then that Mertens reacted, seizing her only break opportunity in the third game and later holding a hard-fought service game to level the score at 2-2.
The 2023 US Open champion read Mertens' serve well and maintained her superiority throughout the rest of the set. Gauff faced no further difficulties and ultimately closed the match with two consecutive breaks, securing a 6-0, 6-2 victory. In the quarterfinals, she awaits the winner between the 11th seed Daría Kasatkina and the surprising Chinese player Yue Yuean (No. 49).

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