Gauff defeats Sakkari and advances to the round of 16 at Indian Wells
After a shaky start at Indian Wells, Coco Gauff faced fewer difficulties against Maria Sakkari (7-6, 6-2) in her third-round match on Monday.
Gauff had alarmed the statistics on Saturday, tallying 74 unforced errors and 21 double faults against Moyuka Uchijima. Against Sakkari, the world No. 3 was slightly more composed.
The two players were neck and neck until the tie-break in the first set. But Gauff capitalized on her opponent's numerous unforced errors to take the lead.
While leading 5-2 and serving to close out the match, the American began to falter, saving four break points and committing six double faults. Ultimately, she secured the win on her sixth match point.
She advances to the round of 16 of the tournament for the third consecutive year, where she will face either Belinda Bencic or Diana Shnaider.
For Sakkari, this defeat will have significant consequences, as the Greek player was defending points from her final appearance last year. She will drop out of the Top 30 and will be ranked no higher than 50th in the world next Monday.
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