👋 Welcome back to The Daily Theory, our morning rundown to help you stay on top of your favorite sport. I’m Allen McDuffee, your guide to all things tennis.

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Let’s tennis!

Four Points

🎾 Coco’s marathon: After three hours of play on Tuesday night, Coco Gauff managed to survive her first-round match against Ajla Tomljanovic, winning 6-4, 6-7, 7-5. Gauff tallied 10 double faults and 59 unforced errors, but also faced an opponent who was punching well above her ranking of 79 in the world. Still, Gauff squandered her opportunities while up a break in the second set once again while serving for the match at 5-4 in the third. Eventually, her super competitor spirit and supreme athleticism took over for the win.

  • What she said: “This is the match that I needed,” Gauff said in her post-match news conference. “I don’t think it can get any more stressful than this.”
  • On her serve: “I was spending a lot of time on court literally serving until my shoulder was hurting,” she said. “It’s like learning a new language … I know this is the part of my game that needs to improve if I want to get the results I want.”
  • Next: Gauff faces Donna Vekic in the second round. Their head-to-head record is 1-1.

🎾 Again, the schedule: It’s certainly not the fault of U.S. Open organizers that the two matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the day session were so dominantly won that, combined, they lasted just two-and-a-half hours. The problem? The flood of people who left Ashe once again congested the outside courts. The problem, problem? Because the U.S. Open started a day earlier, there were even fewer courts to accommodate that influx of people. Sure, they scrambled to put another match on Ashe. But Linda Noskova vs. Dalma Galfi will only keep so many people who bought Ashe tickets occupied. Today, with eight fewer matches, the situation could be much worse.

🎾 Catch-up time: Are you just getting started with this year’s U.S. Open? We’ve got you covered! Check out the Court Theory guide to the U.S. Open, filled with all the big questions and fine details you need to enjoy this year’s tournament.

🎾 Your attention, please: Just a few notes while you’re catching today’s action...

  • Curious match of the day: Iva Jovic, the 17-year-old American who is currently ranked 73 in the world, goes up against Jasmine Paolini today. A long shot? Not if the last time they played is any sign. Paolini needed three competitive sets to take down the American teen at Indian Wells this year.
  • The match we’re not missing: Arthur Rinderknech vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Two all-courters facing each other in a best-of-five scenario? Yes, please.
  • Potential upset alert: Caty McNally vs. Emma Navarro. Yes, Navarro is ranked nearly 80 spots below Navarro. But McNally is playing with confidence, and Navarro is not. That’s because the world number 11 has only gotten beyond a single match win in five of her tournaments this year, which includes back-to-back first-match exits coming into the U.S. Open. Add to that the pressure McNally will put on her with her style of play and the pressure of having to defend last year’s semifinal points.
  • Zach Svajda deserves your attention as he goes up against Novak Djokovic today after a rough year and some for his family.