American Coco Gauff, the reigning US Open champion and third seed in Madrid, will face Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands in the third round of the Madrid Open on Thursday. Gauff, who has twice been eliminated in the third round of the tournament in 2022 and 2023, aims to advance further this year. The 20-year-old has won two WTA 1000 titles, the Cincinnati Open in 2023 and the Auckland Open in January, and has reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and reached the final eight at Indian Wells. Gauff will face the experienced Rus, who is almost 14 years her senior. Rus won her first and only WTA Tour title on clay at the Hamburg European Open last year and has reached the quarter-finals in Hobart, Rouen, and Transylvania this year. As mentioned, Gauff and Rus have never crossed paths on the WTA Tour before, but despite having 13 years on her American foe, the latter has only one title to show at the top level compared to Gauff’s seven; the third seed also boasts eight doubles crowns to Rus’s four. With 194 triumphs from 282 matches at the top level, Gauff’s career win rate stands at 68.8%, slightly superior to that of Rus, who has prevailed in 672 of a staggering 1,081 encounters to post a percentage of 62.2%. Thursday’s contest will see a right-hander in Gauff come to blows with Rus’s left-handed style, but the world number 47 possesses a terrific reach at 5ft 11in tall – she has two inches on the world number three. Twice Fruhvirtova had the chance to serve for the first set against Rus on Tuesday, and twice the Dutchwoman broke back, showcasing her tremendous experience and powers of recovery against youthful opposition. Rus could therefore expect some joy on the Gauff serve, which the American recently admitted needs some work, but the third seed should overcome any slight hitches to book her spot in the second round.
Coco Gauff Begins Madrid Open Quest to Break Third-Round Hex
