Gauff extends American hope with third-round win over Bucsa in US Open 2026

Coco Gauff beat Spain’s Cristina Bucsa to move to the US Open fourth round. | Photo Credit: AP

On a day when the host nation saw many of its stars exit the US Open, Coco Gauff kept the hopes alive with a 6-3, 6-4 third-round win over Spain’s Cristina ⁠Bucsa.

The fourth seed reached the second week of the final Grand Slam of the season for a fifth straight year and will face fellow American Iva Jovic in the fourth round.

“Today was mainly defence, honestly, in the first set,” said 22-year-old Gauff. “Once I got ​my rhythm, I ‌was able to swing through a little more.”

Gauff dropped her serve in the third game but clawed back parity by the sixth with a series of deep backhand strikes.

“Once I was down ⁠that break I just told myself I need to accelerate through my shots,” said Gauff, ‌who showed terrific variety in a 21-shot rally to break Bucsa again in the eighth.

“I’m just happy with how I fought through, even when I wasn’t playing my best.”

Gauff managed to get a grip on her unforced errors in the second set and broke in the ninth game to seal the win.