Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Coco Gauff Survives the Scare against Ajla Tomljanovic in Tense US Open Showdown

The American ace will take on Donna Vekic of Croatia in the second round.

Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

World No. 3, Coco Gauff survived a first-round elimination in the US Open with a hard-fought victory over Ajla Tomljanovic. The Aussie opponent put the two-time Grand Slam winner under pressure and the 2023 US Open champion decoded the victory 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 to reach the second round of the competition. The fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium witnessed one of the finest WTA finishes which lasted almost three hours.

Let the emotion out, Coco!

She finishes this one with a winner down the line. pic.twitter.com/JdVtRq41ie
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2025

Coco Gauff Reaches Second Round after a Three-Set Thriller against Tomljanovic

Coco Gauff made a poor start to the match and a double fault led her to a break of serve. Tomljanović built an initial 2-0 lead but the US No. 1 replied back and took the opening set 6-4. The first set had lengthy rallies which showed a great character from the Aussie star. Gauff was hitting more body serves and groundstroke errors from Tomljanovic helped the 2023 champion take the first set.

The second set was going towards in favor of Gauff as she won the first two games and the pressure was mounting on the Australian ace, who were forcing errors. The Aussie star recorded her sixth double fault of the match in the game and the set was tied on 4-4. Gauff saved two set points to break Ajla Tomljanović’s serve. The Australian ace managed to hold the nerves and forced the tiebreak where she clinched the second set.

Tomljanovic takes the second in a tiebreak.

She and Coco Gauff are headed to a decider! pic.twitter.com/7tXaiZMEJs
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2025

Coco Gauff was not capitalizing after breaking and it was the major issue for her. The two-time major champion planned to have more pop on her serve and it paid off. She built an initial 3-1 lead in the decider and was serving for the match.

However, Tomljanovic raced back and won two consecutive games to add more drama. A backhand unforced error from Tomljanovic gave the American the break and a 6-5 lead. Gauff denied the third-set tiebreak and won the match 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 to reach the second round.

That feeling of winning after almost three hours 😤 pic.twitter.com/EexOZjZvEs
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2025

“Yeah, it was a tough match. I had chance to make it straight set. It wasn’t the best but I’m happy to get through to the next round,” Coco Gauff said after the match. “I had so many chances. Eventually they will come. Eventually one of these will go my way. It happened in that game.”

Tomljanovic is known for an upset victory over Serena Williams three years ago which brought down the curtain on the 24-time major champion’s career. Gauff was also under pressure who had a first-round exit at Wimbledon against Dayana Yastremska. The American ace will take on Donna Vekic of Croatia in the second round.

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Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.