Coco Gauff rallies hard to battle past Dayana Yastremska in Madrid Open

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Coco Gauff rallied to a stunning comeback win over Dayana Yastremska, triumphing 0-6 6-2 7-5 in a second-round clash at the Madrid Open.

After losing her first set 6-0, Gauff found herself in a precarious position, but the 21-year-old bounced back strongly to clinch victory in two hours and 23 minutes.

This was the third time Gauff has faced Yastremska, with all three meetings having taken place on clay, and she remains unbeaten against the Ukrainian.

Gauff recovered well after the early setback, getting a break in the first game of the second set, and though she was unable to hold serve in the next, a five-game winning streak forced the decider.

The final set was tightly contested, lasting more than an hour. Gauff broke Yastremska twice to lead 3-0, but the latter fought back to level at 3-3.

Gauff once again regained control as she went a break up at 5-3, only for Yastremska to save three match points and level the score at 5-5.

The back-and-forth continued between the two from there. However, Gauff broke again for a 6-5 lead and then served out, taking victory on her fourth match point of the day.

She will now face fellow American Ann Li in the next round, after Li defeated No. 25 seed Leylah Fernandez 6-4 3-6 6-4.

Data debrief: Gauff rallies for record second time

For only the second time in her career, Gauff has won a match after losing the first set 0-6 at WTA-level events.

Her only other such win came in Eastbourne in 2021 against Elise Mertens, where she sealed victory 0-6 7-6 7-5.

It was a tough ending for Yastremska after such a strong start, and she is now 4-19 against top-10 players in her career.