Against Jabeur, Gauff quickly grabbed the first seven games — using a 9-0 advantage in winners to help accumulate a 29-10 edge in points — before play was halted because of the weather. When they resumed, Jabeur held serve to claim her first game and make it 1-all in the second set.
But she wouldn’t gain another.
After one shanked forehand in the second set, Jabeur spiked her racket off the temporary outdoor hard court that has drawn so much criticism from the players in Cancun. Later, she dumped a backhand return into the net and bounced her racket again.
It wasn’t until the last game that Jabeur finally earned a break point — three in all. Gauff saved each of those and then converted her fourth match point when Jabeur sent a forehand wide.
“Not my best day on the court,” Jabeur said. “But, yeah, that’s tennis sometimes, unfortunately.”
Earlier Monday, Swiatek climbed out of a 5-2 hole early against Vondrousova and dominated the second set. Both women then added their voices to the chorus of complaints about the playing conditions.
“For sure,” Swiatek said, “it’s not comfortable.”
