"Coco Gauff struggled but never gives up" - Serena Williams' ex-coach lauds American's resilience after Indian Wells 2R win despite third-set setback
Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs was full of praise for Coco Gauff after the latter's second-round Indian Wells win against Clara Burel on Saturday (March 9).
Gauff gave her opponent nine break point chances in the first set, three of which were converted as Burel won 6-2. The second set was an easy affair for the American as she broke the Frenchwoman twice to win 6-3.
Burel seemed to be on her way to an easy win as she won the first four games in the final set. Gauff, however, fought back to force a tiebreak, where she won six of the first eight points and eventually won the match 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) to raise her 2024 singles record to 13-3.
After Gauff's win, Stubbs, who was a part of Williams' coaching team at the 2022 US Open campaign, took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:
"Gotta hand it to @CocoGauff she finds a way. There are so many players that could learn a lot from her. She struggled today in a lot of departments but she NEVER EVER gives up & that in the end is often way more important than perfect strokes! ❤️& composure make the difference!"
Gauff made 10 double faults and won just 33% of the points on her second serve as compared to Burel's six and 42%, respectively. However, the 2022 US Open champion was far more clinical in terms of making her break point opportunities count, converting five of her seven chances in comparison to the Frenchwoman's six from 14.
Coco Gauff set for fourth consecutive 3R match in Indian Wells after win against Clara Burel
Coco Gauff has participated in every edition of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells since 2021, and has made the third round on each occasion.
Gauff lost to Paula Badosa and Simona Halep in the Round of 32 in 2021 and 2022, respectively, before making it all the way to the quarterfinals last year. There, the Delray Beach native was downed by eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
Third seed Gauff, who received a first-round bye, is now set to take on World No. 53 Lucia Bronzetti in the third round in Indian Wells on Sunday (March 10). They have only met once before, when the American beat the Italian 6-4, 6-4 at the W60 in Saint-Gaudens in 2019.