As Coco Gauff fought to halt the momentum working against her in the final set of her tension filled fourth-round battle with Caroline Wozniacki at Arthur Ashe Stadium, her coaching team had some advice. Gauff’s newest coach, Brad Gilbert, suggested that it was time for her to hit with more spin, to prioritise consistency and initiate longer points.
But Gauff had already politely asked her team to stop advising her and in one of the most important moments of her season, she took matters into her own hands. Instead of patiently waiting from behind the baseline as instructed, she forced her way inside it and attacked relentlessly. After a tense, physical and fascinating generational battle, Gauff emerged as the victor over Wozniacki, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to return to the quarter-finals of the US Open.
