Madrid, April 26 (IANS) World No. 3 Coco Gauff staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea and book her place in the fourth round of the Madrid Open on Sunday. The 22-year-old American, who finished runner-up at the tournament last year, overcame a set and a break deficit to secure a gritty 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory in a match that tested both her physical endurance and mental resilience.

Cirstea, seeded 25th and playing in what is expected to be her final season on tour, made a confident start. She broke Gauff early in the opening set and maintained control despite the American briefly drawing level at 4-4. The Romanian regained the advantage with another break before serving out the set 6-4.

The second set saw Cirstea continue her momentum, racing to an early 2-0 lead and later edging ahead again at 4-3. However, Gauff refused to back down. In a dramatic moment, she required medical attention after falling ill on court, but still managed to regroup and break back to level the set.

Showing remarkable composure under pressure, Gauff found another gear late in the second set, breaking Cirstea in the 12th game to force a decider.

With the momentum firmly on her side, Gauff dominated the third set. After being level at 1-1, she reeled off five consecutive games, sealing the match in two hours and 21 minutes. The win also extended her perfect head-to-head record against Cirstea to 3-0, with all three victories coming in three sets.

The result marked Gauff’s eighth three-set win of the season, underlining her ability to grind out results in tight contests. It also ensured her fourth appearance in the Madrid fourth round, including a third successive run to this stage.

Gauff will next face 13th seed Linda Noskova for a place in the quarterfinals. The Czech advanced after receiving a walkover from Liudmila Samsonova due to illness. Gauff leads their head-to-head record 2-0, having beaten Noskova in previous encounters on hard courts.

–IANS

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