Rome, May 8 (IANS) World No. 4 Coco Gauff made a confident return to action at the Italian Open, defeating Czech teenager Tereza Valentova 6-3, 6-4 in the second round on Thursday. The third-seeded American, who arrived in Rome after struggling with illness during the Madrid Open, showed resilience and composure on the clay courts despite an inconsistent serving performance.

Gauff needed one hour and 34 minutes to seal victory and book her place in the round of 16 of the prestigious WTA 1000 event.

The 21-year-old had endured a difficult outing in Madrid, where she suffered from food poisoning and was visibly unwell during her defeat to Linda Noskova in the fourth round. However, the defending French Open champion looked far more settled in Rome as she continued preparations for her Roland-Garros title defence later this month.

Gauff began aggressively on Campo Centrale, immediately putting pressure on Valentova’s serve. The American raced to consecutive breaks early in the opening set and quickly established control with her powerful baseline play and sharp movement. Although the Czech teenager attempted to fight her way back into the contest, Gauff maintained her advantage and comfortably served out the first set in 39 minutes.

The second set proved more competitive as Valentova, ranked No. 48 in the world, capitalised on Gauff’s struggles behind serve. The American committed seven double faults during the match and landed just 62 per cent of her first serves, allowing the 19-year-old multiple opportunities to level the contest.

Twice Gauff moved ahead by a break, and twice Valentova responded to draw level at 4-4. The Czech displayed confidence in the longer rallies and handled several pressure moments impressively, forcing Gauff to rely heavily on her experience and composure.

At a crucial stage of the set, however, the American raised her intensity. Gauff broke Valentova’s serve in the ninth game with a dominant return game before holding to love to close out the victory in straight sets.

Despite moments of inconsistency, Gauff’s ability to steady herself during momentum swings proved decisive against an opponent who showed flashes of promise throughout the encounter.

With the win, Gauff advances to the next round, where she will face either Solana Sierra or Anhelina Kalinina as she continues her pursuit of a strong clay-court campaign.

–IANS

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