US top-seed Gauff ousts Wang in WTA Toronto opener

US top-seed Coco Gauff advanced to the third round of the WTA Toronto Masters on Thursday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over China’s Wang Yafan.

In her first match since being ousted from the Paris Olympics by Croatian Donna Vekic, the 20-year-old American fired six aces and connected on 60 percent of her first serves to dispatch Wang in 88 minutes.

“It was difficult,” Gauff said. “I think I made some more errors than I’m used to but overall I think I was building the points the correct way. I just have to do better making those last two balls.

“Overall, I’m happy with how I played.”

Up next for the reigning US Open champion will be Russian 14th seed Diana Shnaider, who rallied to defeat Poland’s Magdalena Frech 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).

World number two Gauff is making the transition to hardcourts after a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon and an Olympic stint on clay at Roland Garros.

“It would be special to win here, especially I’m trying to get my groove on hardcourt,” Gauff said. “I’m not expecting much but I’m just trying to play some good tennis.”

Gauff, a semi-finalist at this year’s Australian and French Opens, has won six of her seven career WTA titles on hardcourts, the most recent at Auckland in January. Her lone exception is a clay crown at Italy in 2021.

Russian sixth seed Liudmila Samsonova reached the round of 16 by ousting Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-4, 6-2 while Ukraine’s 11th-seeded Marta Kostyuk eliminated compatriot Elina Svitolina 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

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