coco gauff survives scare, saves three match points to reach Dubai quarters
In a dramatic turnaround at the Dubai tournament, Coco Gauff escaped a near-defeat to advance to the quarterfinals after saving three match points against Elise Mertens. The late rally capped a week in which Gauff had earlier ground out a 6-4, 6-4 win over Anna Kalinskaya and publicly praised the passionate supporters of rising player Alexandra Eala.
Dramatic late escape: saved three match points against Mertens
Gauff produced the tournament’s most headline-grabbing moment when she clawed her way back from three match points down to defeat Elise Mertens and secure a spot in the Dubai quarterfinals. The win came after Mertens had built momentum in the event — the Belgian had spent just 75 minutes earlier in the tournament dispatching Emma Navarro to notch her own morale-boosting victory.
The match with Mertens tested Gauff’s resilience. Facing elimination, she tightened her game on the decisive points and converted the opportunities she needed to keep her Dubai run alive. The escape marks a notable recovery for the American as she looks to regain consistent form this season.
Earlier workmanlike win over Kalinskaya and a candid post-match view
Before the Mertens drama, Gauff had advanced into the last 16 with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Anna Kalinskaya on Tuesday (ET). The scoreline masked a scrappy affair: Kalinskaya endured a medical timeout for treatment on her left leg while trailing 4-3 in the opening set and never fully recovered.
Statistically the match was error-strewn. Kalinskaya compiled 45 unforced errors against just 11 winners, while Gauff herself recorded 33 unforced errors and 12 double faults. Gauff described the victory as "not the prettiest win but it was enough today, " calling the result a confidence boost after earlier losses in Doha and in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
That pragmatic assessment underlined the larger theme of Gauff’s week in Dubai: fighting through inconsistent tennis and adverse conditions to keep moving forward in the draw.
On-court diplomacy: praise for Alexandra Eala’s fans
Off the scoreboard, Gauff took a moment to commend the growing fan culture around the sport, singling out supporters of young player Alexandra Eala as "great for the sport. " The remark highlighted a broader appreciation for the new generation of players and their enthusiastic followings, a dynamic that has been increasingly visible at events this season.
Gauff’s public praise acknowledged that vocal, engaged crowds can lift tournaments and help spotlight rising talent — even as veterans and top seeds continue to navigate pressure-filled matches.
With the quarterfinal berth secured, Gauff will carry momentum and renewed confidence into the next phase of the Dubai tournament. She is now firmly in the mix as the event progresses and will return to the court later in the week (ET) aiming to parlay a pair of gritty wins into a deeper run.
