(Reuters) -The U.S. Open’s third round continues on Saturday with world number three Coco Gauff hoping that her misfiring serve does not cause her further headaches, while Jannik Sinner and Naomi Osaka will be aiming to continue their run of straight-set wins.
TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: MAGDALENA FRECH V COCO GAUFF
Coco Gauff’s mental battle to master her new serve continued in the second round against Donna Vekic as the American was reduced to tears after failing to hold her serve due to a flurry of errors.
The 2023 champion, who produced seven double faults in the first set but only one in the second, rallied to secure victory and progress to the third round.
She said she was not embarrassed about showing her vulnerable side.
“It feels human. Being an athlete, people kind of disregard that side of us, the human side of things,” she told reporters.
“When I’m out there in that moment, I kind of give into the pressures, but I feel like that’s normal. I feel like every pro athlete who’s been on the pedestal that I’ve been on has felt that pressure at some point in their career where they showed it publicly like I did or privately.”
Gauff said it has been difficult to get used to her new serving technique after biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan joined her camp just days before the U.S. Open.
“I think my body has been used to doing it one way for how long, or however long, and I think for me it’s just counteracting that in those moments and trying to stay in the right motion that we’ve been working on,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s been tough doing it all over and kind of refactoring everything, a motion that I knew very well. But I know for the future this is the right step forward.”
Gauff had little trouble beating Magdalena Frech in both of their previous meetings.
TOP MEN’S MATCH: JANNIK SINNER V DENIS SHAPOVALOV
World number one Jannik Sinner looked solid as he defeated Alexei Popyrin in straight sets in the second round to continue his title defence.
But the 24-year-old Italian will have a score to settle in the third round when he faces Denis Shapovalov, who handed him a first-round exit at the 2021 Australian Open after a four-hour battle in their only previous meeting.
“It was very tough, tough match. Now he has improved, and me also. We are in a different position… but it’s going to be very, very tough, very difficult. He is a very talented player with huge, huge potential,” Sinner said about Shapovalov.
“He’s unpredictable. He has a big serve. Physically he’s strong. He’s very fast and he doesn’t have holes in his game. He knows to do everything and that’s going to make it very difficult.”
Shapovalov struggled with his serve in the second round, producing 15 double faults before beating Valentin Royer in four sets. But the Canadian 27th seed said his confidence was high going into the rematch with Sinner.
“These are the type of matches that I kind of live for… he doesn’t have many weaknesses, obviously he’s solid from everywhere. I’m going to have to dictate and try to play my game and go for my strokes,” Shapovalov added.
CONFIDENT OSAKA EYES DEEP RUN
Former world number one Naomi Osaka has reached the third round without dropping a set, with increasing buzz around her potential bid for a fifth Grand Slam.
She will be looking to preserve that run against 15th seed Daria Kasatkina in the third round.
“For me, I realise that I’ve done everything that I could. I’ve trained really hard. I practised really hard. If it happens, it happens,” Osaka said when asked if she felt she was ready for a deep run in a Grand Slam again.
“I am quite confident in myself now, so I think that also is working for me,” said Osaka, who reached her first WTA 1000 final in three years at the Canadian Open earlier this month before losing to Victoria Mboko.
The 27-year-old will play a higher-ranked player for the first time in the U.S. Open when she takes on Kasatkina. Osaka has beaten Kasatkina in both of their previous meetings.
A win over Kasatkina will take Osaka to the last 16 of a major for the first time since her run to the Australian Open title in 2021.
U.S. OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON SATURDAY (prefix number denotes seeding)
ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM (1530 GMT/1130 AM ET)
28-Magdalena Frech (Poland) v 3-Coco Gauff (U.S.)
1-Jannik Sinner (Italy) v 27-Denis Shapovalov (Canada)
29-Anna Kalinskaya (Russia) v 2-Iga Swiatek (Poland)
23-Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) v 14-Tommy Paul (U.S.)
LOUIS ARMSTRONG STADIUM (1500 GMT/11 AM ET)
10-Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) v 24-Flavio Cobolli (Italy)
15-Daria Kasatkina (Australia) v 23-Naomi Osaka (Japan)
3-Alexander Zverev (Germany) v 25-Felix Auger Aliassime (Canada)
18-Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) v Maria Sakkari (Greece)
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru)
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