Coco Gauff survived a scare to beat teenage qualifier Victoria Mboko in her opening match on Friday night.
The 18-year-old Canadian has been making waves on the ITF circuit this year and announced herself on the big stage when she breezed through the opening set against Gauff before losing 3-6 6-2 6-1.
Although Mboko is still an up-and-comer on the tour, Gauff was well aware that the teenager would be a threat, admitting she started following her rise earlier this year.
“First I saw her [at the] Miami Open. I didn’t know much about her before, but I’ve been following her since Miami,” Gauff said.
“I think she’s a great player. I knew it was going to be a tough match.
“Yeah, like the ranking difference looks different, but she’s playing top-level tennis. I approached the match that way. It’s not a case of underestimation.
“I knew she was going to come out there and play great. Maybe I psyched myself out a little bit in the first set.”