Overview
- Gauff beat Tereza Valentova 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the Italian Open third round.
- She struggled again on serve, hitting seven double faults in the match and leading the tour this year with 183.
- After the win, she said she will lower her string tension to generate more pop and better handle Rome’s lower‑altitude conditions.
- This tournament carries ranking weight for her, as she is defending 650 points from last year’s runner-up finish and sits eighth in the Live WTA Race.
- The victory also moved her to 30 clay WTA-1000 wins before age 23, a mark only Iga Swiatek had previously reached, according to OptaAce.