By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, March 25, 2024
Caroline Garcia beat third-seeded Coco Gauff 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to score her first Top 10 win since 2022 and reach her first Miami Open quarterfinal.
Photo credit: Megan Briggs/Getty
Turbulence tossed Caroline Garcia into a stormy stress test.
Tormented by a sore shoulder, a red-hot Coco Gauff and the memories of seven straight losses to Top 10 opponents, Garcia stared into space while the trainer kneaded her neck.
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In the end, explosive elevation helped Garcia ground Gauff 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, to land her maiden Miami Open quarterfinal.
Blown out in the second set, Garcia took an injury time-out to treat a sore serving shoulder. That slowed Gauff’s roll.
Then the 23rd-seeded Garcia made a fierce stand to open the final set fighting off four break points, including landing a forehand off the line, in game that launched her through a dynamic closing set.
"The match basically was an up-and-down match," Gauff told the media in Miami. "She played aggressive, which I knew coming in.
"I think it was really important for me to just change the height of the ball, and I did that well for the majority of the second set. Then starting off the third with an early break I think just completely changed the momentum."
It’s Garcia’s second straight win over a US Open champion—she out-dueled former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka 7-6(4), 7-5 yesterday.
“I think I stayed positive and optimistic about my serve trying to take the advantage of the rally as soon as I can,” Garcia told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “Obviously the first game of the third set was quite important for me, maybe for her also.
"I got a bit lucky because my forehand [down break point] was catching the line a little bit, but I went for it so maybe it’s my reward.”
The reward for Garcia’s first Top 10 win since she defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the 2022 WTA Finals is a quarterfinal clash against another Floridian, Danielle Collins.
Former Miami semifinalist Collins defeated 2023 Miami semifinalist Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-2.
The 30-year-old Collins is 3-0 lifetime against Garcia, sweeping all six sets they've played.
“Against a top player you know sometimes it goes on one side very quickly,” Garcia said of her turnaround today. “On a couple of points she started to play a bit stronger, a little bit faster and I was slightly slower and serving less good.
“She put the pressure on me and I felt under pressure quite quickly. I know it could happen: Coco is one of the best players of the last couple of months. I just had to keep going and believing what I was doing. Second set, 6-1… I had to regroup and focus on the next one.”
Hard Rock Stadium was a sink hole for Americans today as all three home players—Christopher Eubanks, Madison Keys and Gauff—lost their day session matches on stadium court.
In a sloppy start, Gauff dragged a couple of forehands into net then sprayed a backhand wide gift-wrapping the break and a 2-0 lead to the Frenchwoman.
It takes impeccable touch to drop shot Gauff and Garcia showed it carving a backhand dropper winner backing up the break for 3-0.
Continuing her commitment to forward attack, Garcia snapped a smash holding at 30 for 5-2.
On her second set point, Garcia closed when Gauff narrowly missed a backhand drive down the line.
The US Open champion won 12 of 14 first-serve points in the opening set, but that poor opening service game—combined with Garcia’s unrelenting aggression—cost the American.
Resetting, Gauff was accelerating through her shots with conviction to start the second set.
Gauff streaked through 11 straight points starting the second set with the love break for 2-0. By then, Gauff had won three of the last four games at love.
Reading a Garcia kick second serve, Gauff pumped a forehand return winner down the line sealing her second straight break and a 4-0 lead.
When Gauff rocketed a 110 mph ace down the T, she closed a fourth shutout game of the set for 5-0.
Dialed in on serve, Gauff won nine consecutive points on serve to cap the second set that shattered the Garcia return game.
In a superb serving performance, Gauff won 16 of 17 service points and pumped four aces in that second set to force a decider after 66 minutes.
Garcia took treatment for an apparent sore right shoulder after a set that saw her commit 10 more unforced errors—14 to 4—than Gauff and win just eight points in seven games.
While Garcia took treatment, Gauff hit some practice serves.
The pause in play slowed Gauff’s roll.
A defiant Garcia fought off four break points navigating a draining hold to start the decider. Garcia boldly banged a forehand right off the sideline in a key stroke that helped her tought out that crucial hold.
That game relaxed Garcia, who soared for a transcendent Federer-esque high backhand volley winner that elicited “aahs” from fans and helped her earn triple break point.
Pros often say it’s the toughest shot in tennis, yet Garcia threw it down with the grace and power that would surely make some of the best practitioners of that high backhand volley—Navratilova, Edberg and Rafter—proud.
When you make the improbable look easy, it’s got to make you feel anything is possible.
Garcia drew a floated error to break for a 2-0 third-set lead.
Once she got the lead, Garcia extended it.
Zapping her first ace of the day out wide, Garcia wrapped a love hold—her third shutout in the last seven games—stretching her lead to 5-2 and casting a cloud of concern over Gauff’s support box.
Attacking the Gauff second serve, Garcia converted her second match point when Gauff knocked a backhand into net to end it after one hour, 43 minutes.
World No. 27 Garcia celebrated her third win in five meetings vs. Gauff with her signature Air CarGar flight around the court.
Landing a semifinal berth will require strong serving from the woman who is third in the ace race this season.
“Obviously my serve is a key point in my game,” Garcia said. “I try to have free point or short ball so first serve is very important.
“I have to stick to my game and believe in it and go with full commitment in it. I know I can do it. Obviously, I did it in the past.”