Gauff vs Zidansek: Things we learned

Gauff leaves no stone unturned

For the second match in succession, Gauff faced a qualifier and while she knew much less about Grand Slam debutante Julia Avdeeva – her first-round victim – she had done her homework on the 26-year-old Slovenian.

The pair had never squared off before, but Gauff was completely across her opponent’s track record in Paris and on her preferred surface.

“I've actually seen her play a couple times but I haven't seen her play this tournament yet… She's definitely a fighter,” Gauff said ahead of the clash. “I think she has, you know, good ball tolerance, like, she can make a lot of balls in the court, pretty good mover.”

It was an astute assessment and a reminder she too needed to bide her time against a player who was coming off three straight three-setters.

Patience pertinent  

Gauff knew what she was up against from the outset and it held her in good shape when she dropped her opening serve and soon trailed 3-1.  

Zidansek had fewer weapons to hurt her younger opponent but was indeed as good a mover on the clay as Gauff had assessed and prepared to work her way into points.

The third seed soon settled and reeled off five of six games for the set, but from 4-2 up in the second set was put through her paces again.

The Slovenian, who had risen as high as world No.22 following her surprise Roland-Garros last-four appearance in 2021, pulled level before Gauff advanced to a third round against Australian Open semi-finalist and 30th seed Dayana Yastremska or China’s Yafan Wang.

“I was just trying to be aggressive. I think in the 4-2 game I should have broken. I missed a couple of balls close, but I just was trying to step in, especially on her second serve.”

Same game, new champ

The 20-year-old Gauff’s world transformed in the 12 months since she fell to Swiatek in the quarter-finals in Paris.

After a shock first-round defeat at Wimbledon she realised her Grand Slam ambitions following a run to the trophy in New York.

It meant the top four seeds at Roland-Garros this year were all major winners, not that Gauff felt it changed much in the way of her approach.

“No not really. Every tournament I'm just trying to reset and yeah the past's in the past,” she said. “Obviously it's a great accomplishment, but I'm hungry for more."

Gauff up to a slower pace

On a damper day in Paris, Gauff still managed to thump 23 winners – 10 more than her opponent – including 17 off the forehand.

While she would be keen to improve on her 48 per cent of first serves landed, she could still draw positives from having won 73 per cent of those points.

“It was really slow today, so I felt like my balls weren't bouncing as much as normal,” Gauff said. “I think it's just with the humidity from all the rain. It was very slow, which I think maybe catered to her game a little more.”