Resolute Gauff avoids Rome exit – but must improve

Reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff earned another confidence-boosting win on the clay by fighting back from match point down to beat ailing American teenager Iva Jovic in the Italian Open fourth round.

Gauff’s preparations for her Roland Garros title defence looked to be taking a significant blow as she trailed 7-5 5-3 against 18-year-old Jovic in Rome.

But the world number four, who also recovered from a set down to Argentina’s Solana Sierra in the previous round, survived the match point before ending up winning 5-7 7-5 6-2.

Despite victory, Gauff knows she will have to play much better to match her run to the Italian Open final last year – and go anywhere near retaining the French Open, which begins on 24 May.

Gauff, who won her second Grand Slam title by beating Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Roland Garros final, was far from her best in a dramatic contest against Jovic – played in a testing wind.

The noise of fighter jets in the skies over the Foro Italico venue also disrupted the players.

“I’m just proud – Iva played really good tennis and the conditions weren’t the easiest. Everything was going on,” said Gauff, who will surely need to raise her level when she faces Russian eight seed Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals.

“Thanks to my team – their pep talk helped me mentally.”

Gauff’s main emotion might well have been pride, but her relief at avoiding another early clay-court exit – after losing in the Stuttgart quarter-finals and Madrid last 16 – was also evident.

Struggling with her footwork and misfiring with her forehand, Gauff was way short of her best in the opening two sets.

But, after Jovic missed match point with a tight forehand into the net, the 17th ranked teenager became further distracted by a cut on her finger caused by an earlier fall on the red dirt.

Gauff took full advantage by showing the indomitable spirit which has categorised her ascent to the top of the women’s game.

A flustered Jovic was clearly feeling uncomfortable with her grip and it contributed to a host of errors as Gauff – who has said she is dealing with “tough” off-court issues at the moment – quickly turned the second set in her favour.

Gauff still did not play cleanly in the decider, but knew the importance of simply getting the ball back into play with regularity and preying on Jovic’s problems.

Jovic, who reached the Australian Open quarter-finals earlier this year, continued to hit loosely and her first serve plummeted – as the pair exchanged five breaks of serve – before Gauff steadied herself to win the final three games.

“In my previous round I was not good mentally on the court and this was a complete 180. It shows I can continue to be positive in the most part,” Gauff told Sky Sports.