US Open 2025: 'Shaken' Coco Gauff Overcomes Donna Vekic In Second Round

Coco Gauff dug deep to beat Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 in the second round of the US Open on Thursday, having been in tears during a tense opening set.

The 2023 US Open champion was visibly shaken during the opener, during which she gave up four breaks and committed seven double faults.

She was seen wiping tears away after one dropped service game, but Vekic failed to serve out the set at both 5-4 and 6-5, with Gauff breaking to love on the second occasion.

A topsy-turvy tie-break then saw seven of the first 10 points go against the serve, but Gauff held her nerve to come through, and the momentum was with her from there.

She raced through the second set in 35 minutes, having needed over an hour to claim the opener, and will now face Magdalena Frech for a place in the fourth round.

"I was just trying to tell myself to breathe," Gauff said afterwards, holding back tears.

"I don't remember a lot of the end of the first set, to be honest, but it's kind of amazing that I was able to get out of that one. 

"But once I was able to reset, I went to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. After that, I felt a lot better out here."

Gauff was not the only American contender to advance, as Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova beat Maya Joint 7-6 (7-2) 6-2.

Like Gauff, Anisimova needed to break when her opponent was serving for the opening set, but she took control thereafter and ended the contest with 23 winners compared to just five for Joint.

Data Debrief: Seeds safely through

With Gauff joining Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva in the third round, this is just the third time in the last decade that the top five seeds have all survived the first two rounds in the women's singles at Flushing Meadows.

Since the start of 2020, only three players have claimed more WTA-level match wins on American soil than Gauff's 57 – Pegula (81), Swiatek (74) and Sabalenka (74).

Anisimova, meanwhile, claimed her 33rd Tour-level victory of 2025, matching her career-best tally for a single season, from 2022.