US Open 2024: Coco Gauff fights back to earn comeback win over Elina Svitolina and storm into the fourth round

Coco Gauff survived her toughest test yet at this year's US Open as she came back to beat Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Gauff started the match by forcing a deuce from 0-40 on Svitolina's serve - and while she'd go on to lose the game, that series was indicative of the graft she'd go on to show as she kept her US Open defense alive.

Svitolina, the world No. 28, was in a Wimbledon quarterfinal just last month and Gauff did well to ride out some moments of turbulence and get stronger as the match went on as she fed off of the crowd's energy.

'I knew today was gonna be a tough match,' Gauff said afterwards on the court. '...She's a fighter.' 

There was precious little separating the players early on in this rally-fest, as both were often happy to stay on the baseline and bank on their ground strokes.

Coco Gauff came back against Elina Svitolina in a hard-fought third round win at Arthur Ashe

Svitolina took the first set but Gauff battled back to take down her opponent at Arthur Ashe

That worked for both of them initially as both players held serve through seven games, though Gauff had to overcome a few wobbles as she escaped three break points in her first three service games - including a 15-40 gap that she made up down 2-1. 

Gauff then found herself in the opposite position as she led 40-15 with Svitolina serving at 3-3 - but she failed to capitalize and it wasn't long before her opponent landed the first blow of the match.

The Ukrainian comprehensively broke Gauff in the next game, winning every point after three straight backhand misses from the American, and there was little resistance soon afterward as she served for the set.

The second set began with Gauff in another perilous position in the third game, as she trailed 15-30 during her service.

But - with the help of a backhand winner the following point which just barely grazed the line - she recovered to stay afloat and go up 2-1.

She also escaped what could have been a disastrous collapse two games later, as she saw her serve waver after an imperious few points and a 40-15 lead evaporated into a deuce.

There, though, she dug her heels in to survive a break and finally found an opening afterwards.

The turning point of the match was perhaps at 30-30 with Gauff leading 3-2, as she fired a forehand return down the line and let out a scream in unison with a supportive New York crowd.

Gauff will face fellow American Emma Navarro or Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk next

It set her up to win a vital break point, and ultimately the set as she smashed an emphatic ace past Svitolina to level the match not long after. That was a fitting way to end the set after she greatly improved her percentage of first serves in (45 percent to 68 percent) from the first to second set.

'I felt like I was on the verge of breaking the whole match,' she said afterwards. '...So finally to do that, I think I obviously had a great reaction, and the crowd just got behind me with that.' 

Gauff's momentum would continue from there as she broke Svitolina at her first opportunity in the third set - and again to go up 4-1- as she seized control of the match.

Still, the final moments tested her resolve as she fumbled away a triple-match point as she served up 5-2 - in no small part due to two straight double-faults - before Svitolina earned a break to stay alive.

That's as close as she would get though, as Gauff showed her champion's mettle to break her right back the following game and wrap up the match in just over two hours.

She'll face fellow American Emma Navarro or Marta Kostyuk next.