Coco Gauff survived a first-round scare to advance at the US Open.
Gauff faced Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović, and the Australian gave the American plenty to worry about during their first-round contest.
However, Gauff scraped past Tomljanović, winning the contest 6-4 6-7 7-5.
Gauff recently hired a new biomechanics specialist to assist with her serving troubles, which have plagued her throughout the North American hard-court swing.
However, one notable figure, a former coach of the Williams sisters, has made a significant prediction about this area of Gauff’s game.
Rick Macci says Coco Gauff will have the best serve on the WTA Tour
It is no secret that Coco Gauff has struggled for form since capturing her second Grand Slam at the French Open. The American crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round before registering earlier-than-expected exits at both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open.
Her hiring of Gavin MacMillan should assist in helping change this form. After all, MacMillan has been widely credited with fixing Aryna Sabalenka’s serving troubles.
Legendary coach Rick Macci seems to share this sentiment, claiming that Coco Gauff’s serve will be ‘the best on tour’ after her match against Ajla Tomljanović.
On X [Twitter], Macci said: “When all the smoke clears Coco will have the best serve on tour and a second serve that is a monster kick.
“Her loose wires and jumping ability to put Humpty Dumpty back together correctly from the ground up is untapped, and that smoke will turn into fire.“
Gauff will be hoping her serve clicks into gear against Donna Vekic in the US Open second round. The pair have met twice before on the WTA Tour, winning one match each.
Vekic defeated Gauff at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, while the American won their most recent matchup at the 2025 United Cup.
How did Coco Gauff serve against Ajla Tomljanović?
Coco Gauff’s serving struggles continued against her Australian opponent.
The American served 10 double faults during the match while also winning only 45 per cent of her second serve points. Gauff’s serve was also broken six times during the match.
However, Gauff’s return game helped her cause. The American engineered 15 break-point opportunities, converting eight of them.
Gauff also won 60 receiving points compared to Tomljanović’s 43.
