Local favorite Coco Gauff won against Rebecca Marino in straight sets 6-4 6-3 in a match that lasted 1 hour and 12 minutes.
She admitted that she struggled to defeat Marino and that the match was up and down.
“Today it was an up-and-down match, honestly,” Gauff said afterwards. “I did well in the returning part, considering [Marino is] a big server. I’m really happy with how I played.”
“She’s not an easy opponent. She makes a lot of big shots, doesn’t really give you a lot of rhythm. You kind of just have to hang in there.”
Another American through to the third round of the tournament is Jessica Pegula. She is well familiar with the Hard Rock Stadium as it is just outside the Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium, a team that her family partly owns.
“It’s a really cool story and it’s fun when I get to come here and watch the team play a football game and then I get to come back and play a tennis match,” Pegula said.
“The owners of the Dolphins, even though they’re also competing against each other, they also think it’s really cool that I get to come back here and play a tennis event and everyone’s pretty friendly with each other as well in the NFL sides of ownership.”
She took down Katherine Sebov in straight sets. After Iga Swiatek’s withdrawal, Pegula has become one of the favorites to make it to the finals and possibly go up against Aryna Sabalenka.
She is next up against another American Danielle Collins who beat Viktoriya Tomova 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.
“She is someone who is pretty tough to play against and on a fast court as well, she will be going for her shots and playing aggressive. She’s feisty, she competes really well. It’s going to be a tough match,” said Pegula.