Coco Gauff advanced to the third round of the US Open after a 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Donna Vekic, but the match left clear signs of physical discomfort and technical uncertainty. The 2023 US Open champion was broken four times and appeared to be wrestling with a recently tweaked service motion.

Former world No 1 Lindsay Davenport urged a calmer perspective on expectations. “It’s interesting, it’s 6-5 up, Donna Vekic breaks to serve for the first set, she calls an injury time-out,” analysed Davenport. “There’s about a seven-minute break. After a few minutes, Gauff went out to serve. Hits every single one of the 15 serves she tried to hit on both the deuce and sides.

“And so it really gives you a sense that in tennis, what you don’t want to do is overthink, and she’s now trying to learn new grips and new technique, and it’s just all too much for her.

“It seems like everyone’s got to take a step back and just say, ‘You know what, just go play. Let’s go try and figure out this last major of the year, then we can catch our breath.’ But that was heartbreaking to see.”

After the match Gauff showed emotion during her on-court interview and spoke candidly about how she managed a difficult spell. “Honestly, today was a tough match for me, but I’m just happy with how I was able to manage,” she admitted. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I’m just happy to be back on this court, and you guys bring me so much joy. You guys really help me a lot.

“I’m doing this for myself, but I’m also doing it for you, and no matter how tough it gets inside, you can do it.

“I was just trying to tell myself to breathe, and honestly, just putting another ball in the court and just trying to remember the things that I do well,” she said.

On the wider meaning of the victory, former world No 1 Jim Courier described the match as a display of character. “For me, this is the big picture, a remarkable story of resilience in an athlete,” he analysed. “She is so vulnerable in full view in the biggest tennis tournament in America, and she is the centrepiece of this tournament.

“So, what she’s doing, and this will happen at some point, there will be a movie on her life.

“Look, whether it’s a documentary or whether it is a feature film like King Richard, this will be a big part of that, because I’m sure this is going to be a pivot point for her with her serve, and that’s going to be something that she will ultimately put behind her.

“But the emotions of these moments, it is really theatrical and she is inspirational for all of us. Incredible.”

John McEnroe offered a clear appraisal of Jannik Sinner’s progress and the role of his coach after a season that has combined major success with off-court controversy. McEnroe praised the Italian’s recent form and highlighted the impact Darren Cahill has had since joining Sinner’s team.

Sinner arrives at the 2025 US Open as the favourite and reigning champion after winning his first New York title last year. Now world No 1, he is chasing a fourth straight hard-court major and a fifth Grand Slam overall. He also captured his first major on natural grass at Wimbledon last month, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

Sinner missed early-season Masters 1000 events following a suspension that ran from February 9 to May 4 this year, imposed after two failed doping tests in March 2024. He returned to competition at the Italian Open and has remained one of the sport’s most closely watched figures.

Speaking on ESPN, McEnroe singled out Sinner’s coaching changes and early development. “I know his original coach when he was a kid, Riccardo Piatti, who did a great job with him,” said the former world No 1.

“But he felt like he needed something more, just like Coco [Gauff] has decided to get a new coach. Darren Cahill is one of the greatest coaches that you will ever see in any sport, he should be in the Hall of Fame.

“He coached [Andre] Agassi, Simona Halep, Lleyton Hewitt. He has done a number with Jannik Sinner, made him more of a believer, changed his serve.”

McEnroe admitted he had been surprised by how quickly Sinner’s game has matured. “He is incredible in and out of the corners,” continued the American.

“Sinner is playing at a level that I did not anticipate would be that high at this point in his career. I am very amazed that he is this good. I have watched him for years, he is a great kid.

“He went through a lot of turmoil with these doping violations, I don’t know exactly what has happened in terms of what went on, but the bottom line is that there was a lot of pressure here [at the US Open] when he played [in 2024].

“He handled that, he went to Australia and it was revisited. He handled that great.

“He got three months, maybe that could have helped him a little bit to regroup, but all in all, he has been a huge plus for our game.”

Holger Rune accepted the limits of his US Open campaign after a five-set defeat to Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round in New York and offered a stark assessment of who can challenge the current Grand Slam leaders. Rune backed Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic as the only players apart from Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz capable of lifting the 2025 US Open trophy.

“It’s just hard to win Grand Slam tournaments,” admitted the Dane, after his US Open loss. “Now it will probably be another final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Apart from them, it is probably only Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev who can win.”

Rune’s comments came amid a stretch in which Sinner and Alcaraz have taken all seven of the most recent majors, meeting in the finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Sinner was the champion at last year’s US Open, defeating Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. Alcaraz, despite a second-round exit at the 2024 US Open, has previously reached the 2023 semi-final and won the tournament in 2022.

Djokovic has not won a major in the past 24 months but reached the last four at every Grand Slam in 2025, falling to Zverev at the Australian Open and to Jannik Sinner in Paris and London. Zverev opened the season by reaching the Melbourne final, where he lost to Sinner, and despite a first-round loss at Wimbledon he remains third in both the ATP rankings and the live ATP Race to Turin.

For Rune, the loss to Struff was another five-set reversal after surrendering a two-set lead to Nicholas Jarry at Wimbledon weeks earlier. “There (at Wimbledon) I went physically dead. I didn’t do that here, so it’s progress,” the Dane said. The more positive tone was aided by appearing free of a recurring knee issue which was attributed to the loss to the Chilean.

Overall Rune has now lost three of his last four Grand Slam matches and reproduced his two fourth-round exits from 2024. “He played fearlessly and hit the lines most of the time, so it was difficult for me to do more. He went for his punches and succeeded with it, so hats off to him,” Rune added.

“I think it’s very risky to play like that, and there are not many who go for their shots that much.

“I think it’s crazy that they can play so risky and be successful in the long run.

“I had a good feeling going into the fifth set. I think I played solid without being crazy good or crazy bad, but he was just brave and at his best at the crucial moments.

“(On the net cord which favoured the German) It’s just bad luck. It happened at some annoying times, but it wasn’t decisive for the match and he deserved the luck.”