Swiatek sails through as Gauff survives

TORONTO: Coco Gauff overcame 13 double-faults on Wednesday as she battled past Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and into the third round of the WTA Toronto Masters, where top-ranked Iga Swiatek sailed through.

Gauff, the US teenager who fell to Swiatek in the French Open final this year, held on to beat Rybakina 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/3).

Gauff lost out on four chances to close out a straight-sets victory as a quartet of match points came and went.

Rybakina, aided by Gauff’s service struggles, had looked as if she might pull off another marathon victory. She had needed three hours to get past Marie Bouzkova in the first round. But Gauff finally prevailed, 70 minutes after her first opportunities, claiming victory on her fifth match point.