Coco Gauff saves 3 match points to reach Dubai quarters

No. 3 seed Coco Gauff fought off three match points and advanced to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarterfinals with a 2-6, 7-6 (9), 6-3 victory over Belgium’s Elise Mertens on Wednesday.

Gauff overcame 16 double faults and completed the comeback in two hours and 18 minutes to improve to 5-0 against Mertens, who had match points in the second-set tiebreak at 6-5, 7-6 and 9-8.

“The whole match felt like it wasn’t going my way,” Gauff said in her on-court interview. “It wasn’t the best, but I just tried to stay in it, and I did fight for every point. I’m happy I was able to get the result today.

“Elise is a great player, so I just had to stay settled. I knew I could win; it was just (a matter) if I could find my game. And I did a little bit at times, and sometimes I didn’t, but it’s OK.”

Gauff converted seven of 10 break points to set up a quarterfinal meeting with the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala, who defeated Sorana Cirstea of Romania 7-5, 6-4.

Top-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan was trailing 7-5, 4-6, 0-1 against Croatian lucky loser Antonia Ruzic when she retired from the third-round match due to gastrointestinal issues.

Ruzic advanced to face No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory against No. 9 seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland.

No. 2 seed Amanda Anisimova needed only 70 minutes to complete a 6-1, 6-3 win over Indonesia’s Janice Tjen. She will meet fifth-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva, a 7-5, 6-3 winner against Romania’s Jacqueline Cristian.

No. 4 Jessica Pegula defeated fellow American and No. 16 seed Iva Jovic 6-4, 6-2 in 77 minutes. Pegula struck five aces and saved the only break point she faced against the player she called her “mini-me” before the match.

“I think it’s going to be a tough match for me. Iva, we’ve never played, but I feel like she kind of plays like a mini-me, so it’s going to be tough,” Pegula said Tuesday. “(Iva’s) going to have nothing to lose, and she’s been really hot, beating and winning a lot of matches this year.”

Up next for Pegula is No. 12 seed Clara Tauson of Denmark, who won 19 of the 21 points on her first serve in a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Poland’s Magda Linette.