The third seed, and former Grand Slam champion, secured a 6-2, 6-3 victory over the world No. 93, who has recently switched her national allegiance from Russia to Uzbekistan.
While the scoreline suggested control, Gauff’s performance was not without flaws, particularly behind her serve.
The American endured a difficult opening set, striking six double faults and winning just four of 15 points on her second serve.
Although there was an improvement in the second set, with only one double fault recorded, she still won fewer than half of the points played on her second delivery. Gauff later attributed the issues to a slow start rather than any deeper technical concern.
“It was just the first set. Only had one double in the second. I think both of us were struggling on the far side. The sun is right there, which I know for every time I play first on a day here, that’s just how it is,” Gauff told reporters.
“But once I got through kind of the first game, I had like three doubles in the first game, and once I got through that game, it was pretty much smooth sailing from there. Maybe I would have liked to put more first serves in the court, for sure.”
Serving inconsistencies have been a recurring theme at various stages of Gauff’s career, and she has been proactive in addressing them.
Last summer, she began working with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, who previously helped Aryna Sabalenka resolve similar problems with her serve a couple of years ago.
“I don’t think I was accelerating enough, which is why a lot of the doubles (double faults) went in the net,” she added.
“As the match went on, I just told myself to accelerate on my serve more. Obviously when that happens, I get more speed and velocity. So I think the next match I’ll try and start quicker than I did today.”
Gauff will next face Serbia’s Olga Danilovic, who advanced after eliminating Venus Williams on Sunday.
