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Coco Gauff brushed off pressure talk at her Indian Wells pre-tournament presser this week, despite a three-match skid. After a 0-2 Middle East swing and a quarterfinal loss to Paula Badosa at the Australian Open, the world No. 3 snapped the streak Friday, grinding past Moyuka Uchijima 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) in the BNP Paribas Open’s second round. Uchijima, fresh off a solid win over Emma Raducanu, pushed Gauff hard.
The match was messy—Gauff racked up 21 double faults and over 70 unforced errors in a 2-hour, 34-minute slog she should’ve closed out cleaner. Still, the 20-year-old American stayed upbeat. “It wasn’t my best tennis at all, but I’m just happy to get through,” she said. “It’s been a rough few weeks. No one likes losing—I came in determined. A win’s a win, even if it’s ugly.”
Now 10-3 in 2025 with a United Cup title, Gauff faces a quick turnaround, taking on 29th seed Maria Sakkari in the Round of 32 on Saturday. Fans can track the latest tennis updates via Sports Illustrated’s *Serve on SI*.
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