Gauff, who defeated Mboko in Rome: "I felt it was impossible to hit a winner"

Despite a rocky start, Coco Gauff ultimately prevailed against Victoria Mboko, the 18-year-old ranked 156th in the world, in the second round of the WTA 1000 in Rome (3-6, 6-2, 6-1). The Canadian qualifier gave it her all, but the American, with her back against the wall after losing the first set, eventually found the resources to turn the match around.

The world No. 3, who will face Magda Linette in the next round, reflected on her debut in the Italian capital, discussing her opponent and the unique conditions of the Roman courts.

"I saw her play for the first time in Miami. I didn’t know much about her before facing her, but I follow her, and she’s a good player. I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

She plays at a very high level despite her ranking, and maybe I wasn’t focused enough in the first set. At times, I felt like I was playing against myself because of her movement on the court.

I don’t want to say she’s like me, but her movement resembles what I like to do. In terms of athleticism, I think she’s one of the best on tour.

I’ve barely had time to train these past few days because I came straight from Madrid (where she lost the final to Sabalenka), but the courts here are very slow.

I’ll feel better in my next match, but today, I really struggled with the slowness of the ball. I felt like it was impossible to hit a winner," she explained in recent hours to the media outlet *Punto De Break*.