"I just need to be smarter" - Gauff on throwing away big lead against Sabalenka at Ostrava Open

Coco Gauff was close to reaching quarterfinals at the 2020 Ostrava Open, however, after a sensational start, she thew away her lead against Aryna Sabalenka.

The 16-years-old American sensation won the first set quickly 6-1. However, she failed to get any breakpoints in the second, and her opponent won it after converting the only breakpoint of the second set. Gauff then showed her high level also in the third set when she got a 5-2 lead and served twice to win the match. However, she failed to do that and lost the match in a tie-break. After the match, she said:

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"I mean, I really don't like losing, so I don't look at it that way," Gauff laughed. "I just need to play a little bit smarter on pressure points, to make my opponent play. I feel like I wasn't nervous today - I think I just need to be smarter. Sometimes I have tendencies, when it gets to the end, to rush out of the points when instead I should just put the ball in the court," Gauff said.