Tim Henman doesn’t pull any punches with his US Open verdict on Coco Gauff
Defending champion Coco Gauff is through to the last-16 of the US Open, but former British No 1 Tim Henman is not convinced she is on course to win a second title at Flushing Meadows.
The 20-year-old American has set her sights on becoming the first woman to defend her US Open title since Serena Williams in 2014 but her form coming into the tournament was not great.
She got through her first two rounds without excelling and was in trouble when 27th seed Svitolina took the opening set, but Gauff showcased her fighting spirit to produce a 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory on Arthur Ashe.
“It means a lot, I knew today was going to be a tough match, every time I play Elena it’s hard,” said Gauff.
“I had to bring my best tennis, I thought I played well and I served a lot better than the other day. I tried to be more aggressive. She was playing well and aggressive, the difference was me being more aggressive after the first set.
“It was a tough match. I got a little bit nervous at the end, but I was able to find my nerves and try and focus.
“I’m really proud. The 4-3 game in the second set I broke and I had two big forehand winners.
“I’m overall very happy with how I played. Elina is not an easy player at all, especially so early in the tournament.
“I was using the crowd to my advantage, they always give me energy.”
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There was real concern for Gauff over the course of a match that saw her serve up 35 unforced errors, with Henman suggesting she needs to find a few more gears if she is to contend for the title once again.
“You can see in her reaction: she’s pleased with the win, but there’s massive relief,” Henman told Sky Sports.
“It’s the sign of a great player when you can win when not playing great, and I don’t think Gauff is playing great.
“But the atmosphere, the noise in the stadium when she’s orchestrating the 24,000 in here is quite something.
“She’s going to have plenty to work on, on her off day. The serve and forehand remain a bit vulnerable.”
Feliciano Lopez echoed Henman’s comments, as he suggested the 20-year-old American needs to make technical changes to her game that might not be solved mid-way through a Grand Slam tournament.
“It’s not the right moment when you have only one day to fix certain things that didn’t work,” former Spanish player Lopez told Sky Sports.
“It’s not easy for her, but I fully agree with Tim, she has a lot of room for improvement.
“Talking about Coco lately, I think her tennis is still behind her competitive spirit and physicality.”
Gauff’s forehand has long been the shot that is highlighted as he big weak spot and while she managed to win the US Open last by displaying a level of consistency that took her to glory, she has much to work on in week two of this year’s tournament in New York.
