Coco Gauff reaches US Open fourth round: Victory hides serve concerns

New York last night witnessed a Coco Gauff who was not explosive but still enough to get past Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-4. The match ended after 1 hour and 25 minutes, but the real story lies in the numbers and how the defending champion handled pressure. In the third game of the first set, Gauff lost her serve. In the Arthur Ashe stands, a murmur spread quickly. But she did not panic. She dropped deep, hit with spin, dragged Bucsa into long rallies. After the match, she said bluntly: "Today, mainly defence in the first set, honestly. I wasn't playing my best but I was still fighting through." That is a calculated statement from a player who won a Grand Slam at 19. Gauff understands that the US Open is not a place to showcase, but a place to survive. The context of this year's tournament makes this win even more significant. At the top of the draw, Iga Swiatek is still advancing without much trouble. At the bottom, Aryna Sabalenka, who lost to Gauff in the 2026 final, is in devastating form. If Gauff wants to defend her title, she will almost certainly have to get past one of these two in the semifinals or final. However, her performance against Bucsa shows her ambition remains intact, even if her game has not yet reached full explosive levels. Look at the statistics. Gauff had only 15 winners in the whole match, a modest number for a No. 3 seed. But what stands out is that she reduced unforced errors in the second set and began moving better from the baseline. The 21-shot rally in the decisive game of the second set was the most valuable tactical highlight: Gauff did not try to end points early, but patiently moved, spun the ball, and waited for her opponent to loosen up. That reflects the Gauff of 2026, no longer the eager attacking teenager of three years ago. Bucsa, despite being rated lower, played to the level of a player in the world's top 50. She served well, returned deep, and was especially strong on the two-handed backhand side. But against a defensively superb Gauff, those weapons became harmless. The Spaniard managed only three games in the first set and could not create a break in the second, making the final score accurately reflect the contest: Gauff completely controlled the tempo. In the fourth round, Gauff will face the winner between Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala. With her class, she is widely favoured. But at a Grand Slam, no match is easy, especially when you are the defending champion. Jovic, 17, is playing with the confidence of a fearless young player. She already took out a seed in the previous round and has a very heavy backhand. Eala from the Philippines is not an easy opponent either; she reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career and will not go away quietly. Whoever the opponent, Gauff's real test will begin in the quarterfinals. And that is when the statistics from the Bucsa match need to be inspected more closely than ever. The blind spot is the serve. Gauff lost her break in the third game, and even though she was only broken once in the match, the frequency of games where she had to save break points remains high. Against a good returner like Swiatek or Sabalenka, falling behind early could put her in a very tiring chase. If she keeps relying on defence and waiting for opponents to make errors, she will not make it to the final match of the tournament. I have followed Gauff since her early days on the WTA tour, and there is an unchanging rule: US Open champions are often the ones who win when they are not at their best. Gauff just showed that in the third round. But history also shows that if you keep living by a defensive game against elite opponents, your title defence dream will fade quickly. Look at last year's journey. Gauff arrived at the 2026 US Open as a young, hungry player. She beat Sabalenka in the final not only because she served better, but also because of her decisiveness in crucial moments. A year later, she returns as champion, with far greater expectations from the home crowd. That pressure can be motivating, but it can also be a burden. For me, the win over Bucsa is worth much more than what fans saw on the court. It shows that Gauff understands who she is on a big stage. She did not try to look perfect, did not try to hit winners from every position. She accepted a night less than spectacular to secure a place in the next round. That is a sign of maturity. But that maturity will be tested. The question is not whether Gauff will reach the quarterfinals, but whether she can press the gas when facing a player who can take control from the start, like Sabalenka in last year's Cincinnati semifinal or Swiatek in the Roland Garros quarterfinal. Gauff needs to regain initiative in her service games. She cannot only rely on her ability to rally and defend well. At the US Open, where fast serves often bring easy points, losing an early break is a bad sign. If she does not fix this soon, her next opponents will target that weakness and turn it into a nightmare. One lesson I have learned after years of watching Grand Slams: highlights only show you the beautiful shots; the true game of a champion lies in the lifeless middle games, where you have to maintain focus when nothing exciting happens. Gauff just passed such a match. The remaining question is whether she has enough to get through three more similar matches with increasing pressure. The US Open is a tournament for survivors, and Gauff is still alive. But in elite tennis, survival alone is not enough to reach the podium. Will she rediscover her best serving feeling? Or will she continue to lean on patience and defence? Only the next rounds can answer that. For now, American fans can breathe a sigh of relief because Coco Gauff is still in the tournament – though the road ahead is becoming increasingly bumpy. They say champions are forged in matches like this: not pretty, but effective. If Gauff learns to win even when her form is low, she will have a great chance. But if not, her journey at Flushing Meadows this year may well end in the quarterfinals – a disappointing result for a defending champion.