There was emotion, but then there was victory.
Coco Gauff rallied from a teary-eyed moment in the first set to break into the third round with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over Donna Vekic Thursday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Gauff was incredibly stiff in the first set.
After falling behind two-games-to-love, however, Gauff stabilized and powered ahead by taking the next four. An easy seventh game for Vekic, however, led to a trying moment for Gauff.
Double faulting to concede her service at 4-4, Gauff was overcome with emotion during the changeover. Tears welled in her eyes as she buried her head in her towel.
She continued to wipe tears away as she took the court again.
A medical timeout for Vekic — after she pulled ahead 6-5 — gave Gauff some time to compose herself, but the 2023 champion was more focused on practicing her serve.
The serve that has been at the center of conversation for so long, especially after she hired a new coach in Gavin MacMillan to help her fix it just before the U.S. Open started.
Gauff was ultimately able to shake off a tiebreak-opening double fault to secure the first set.