NEW YORK — Coco Gauff wishes she weren’t trying out a new service motion in what she called “the high-stress situation” of the US Open.

She would have loved to have more time to collaborate with serving guru Gavin MacMillan than the six days they were able to spend together before needing to test out the changes in front of thousands of fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium and millions more watching on TV around the world.

That, though, is the way things went. And, Gauff figures, better late than never. So there the No. 3-ranked player was at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday night, at a Grand Slam tournament she won in 2023, stuck in the crucible of a third set against a player, Alja Tomljanovic, who beat Serena Williams in the 23-time major champion’s final match on tour.

“First round is more stress

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