Coco Gauff needed this.

When you have lost your last five matches against top-50 opponents, you take a win however it comes. You certainly take a win at the U.S. Open on Arthur Ashe Stadium to secure a place in the fourth round at your home Grand Slam. Friday lunchtime, the world No. 3 took that win, coming from a set down to beat Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Svitolina, the Ukrainian No. 27 seed, is exactly the kind of opponent that a player with no top-50 wins in five attempts would want to avoid. In the years since Russia’s invasion of her home country and the birth of her daughter, Skai, steel and surety have become the defining features of her game. Gauff has struggled for those qualities lately, but this win is a reminder of the resolve that makes her the defending champion in New York.