Rome, May 11 -- Reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff earned another confidence-boosting win on the clay by fighting back from match point down to beat ailing American teenager Iva Jovic in the Italian Open fourth round.
Gauff's preparations for her Roland Garros title defence looked to be taking a significant blow as she trailed 7-5 5-3 against 18-year-old Jovic in Rome. But the world number four, who also recovered from a set down to Argentina's Solana Sierra in the previous round, survived the match point before ending up winning 5-7 7-5 6-2.
Despite victory, Gauff knows she will have to play much better to match her run to the Italian Open final last year - and go anywhere near retaining the French Open, which begins on May 24.
Ga...