AUCKLAND: Top-seed Coco Gauff admitted there were “things to improve” as she overcame a mid-match wobble to beat fellow American Claire Liu in straight-sets in the first round of the Auckland Classic on Tuesday.
US Open champion Gauff prevailed 6-4, 6-2 in her first match of the season, while second-seed Elina Svitolina was also made to struggle before outlasting Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 in a battle of the comeback mums.
In the second round Svitolina will play another US Open winner Emma Raducanu who, in her first match since being sidelined by injury last April, outlasted Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse over a tense three sets.
World number three Gauff raced to a 4-0 lead over Liu, ranked 92 places lower, before the fluidity slipped from her game.
She double-faulted twice to drop her serve and the gap narrowed to 5-4 when Liu broke again.
But the 19-year-old recovered her composure to take the first set when a loose Liu forehand sailed out.
Gauff broke twice more from 3-2 in the second to move into the second-round meeting with 16-year-old Czech Brenda Fruhvirtova.
“I definitely needed to be tested and I feel like I played well today for my first match in a while,” declared Gauff, who is defending the Auckland title she won 12 months ago. “There´s obviously things I can do to improve but I´m happy with the win,” she said, looking ahead to the Australian Open, which begins on January 14.
Svitolina and Wozniacki, who both returned to the circuit last year after maternity leave, battled for one hour 45 minutes before Svitolina triumphed. Former world number three Svitolina won the opening two games before Wozniacki fought back to lead 4-3.
