Coco Gauff advanced to the round of 16 at the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto, beating Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-4 in a match that lasted just 76 minutes.
Gauff's serve has long been considered her weak point. She has hit serves around 190 km/h but was prone to double faults, including 12 in a match against Magda Linette at the WTA 1000 in Miami in 2025. At the time, Rennae Stubbs said Gauff's grip was simply wrong.
Fewer double faults, more aces
Against Sakkari, Gauff hit just three double faults and five aces. She said she felt she had made the right decision in hiring biomechanics specialist Gavin McMillan, who has worked with the 22-year-old for almost a year, and that her serve had improved significantly.
She acknowledged double-faulting on match point but said she had committed only three double faults across the whole match. She said she won many points on her second serve and almost always scored when her first serve landed, calling it a huge change.
Gauff said she was pleased with how McMillan and Jean-Christophe worked together on her serve, each contributing ideas and different perspectives, leaving her feeling she now had the best team helping her develop.
McMillan's track record
McMillan previously worked with Aryna Sabalenka, who had major problems with her serve and forehand, helping guide her to the top of women's tennis in 2024.
Gauff, the world number four, will face Alina Korneeva in the round of 16 in Toronto, with the match scheduled for Sunday, August 9, at around 8 p.m.
