Elina Svitolina comes through in blockbuster match against Caroline Wozniacki

Elina Svitolina is into the second round of the ASB Classic after defeating Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-4 and as epic as it was, it was also hard to watch.

It was a match that no one particularly see either player lose, as Wozniacki and Svitolina are two of the biggest stars and likeable people in on the WTA Tour but unfortunately there’s no such thing as a draw in tennis.

They went up against each other in the first round, because Wozniacki’s comeback hasn’t yet given her a ranking high enough to make it into the draw without a wildcard, let alone be seeded.

It could have been the final and it was a match up the tennis world was eager to see, and while it was a great spectacle, having it in round one means Wozniacki leaves New Zealand earlier than most people hoped.

But she did have her chances, particularly in the first set and her downfall was not taking them.

“I can’t expect to win a set when I’m up so many games in a row and I’m not taking my chances,” Wozniacki said afterwards.

“That’s the disappointing part and what I need to learn from. To see what was it that I did in those moments and step up next time.

“There are positives to take with me. Fitness wise and shot wise, We both played well but there are a few things I can work on and that’s what my focus is going to be going into Melbourne.”

Svitolina probably didn’t want to have such a tough opponent for her first match since last year’s US Open, but she was able to win more of the bigger points.

“Towards the end of the first set it was tricky,” Svitolina said.

“She had some break points or game points to have a lead and I stayed in the match. I was fighting for every single point and started to play more aggressive.

“I was a bit surprised with my movement, because I had to stop after the US Open with my fracture in my foot. So I’m happy I’m back playing and trusting my body.”

At the end of what will be an illustrious career by Coco Gauff, her 6-4 6-2 round one win over Claire Liu earlier in the day will unlikely be remembered.

It was one of those matches she had to win to move onto bigger and better things.

Her victory in one hour 22 minutes looked like it might not last anywhere near that long as Gauff raced out to a 4-0 lead in the opening set.

During those games, she was overpowering her fellow American, punishing short balls and hitting angles that made it impossible for Liu to get the ball back.

But then Gauff’s game hit a wobble and those balls that were landing in before, were suddenly going astray.

She looked frustrated at times as the score went to 5-4 and the set changed from one where she was winning at a canter, to something that would require her to dig in and fight.

Her tenacity got her through that tough period and the second set was a bit easier.

This wasn’t a breathtaking performance from last year’s US Open champion, but she got the job done and often that’s enough.

“Today was a good win for me, a pretty straight forward match,” Gauff said.

“I had a hiccup in the first, but I was able to break back to win the set.

“I felt I can definitely improve on it,” she added.

“It wasn’t my best and it wasn’t my worst. It played how I was supposed to play to win.

“I feel like I can improve but for the first match I’m happy with how I played.”

In other matches on the second day of action, the New Zealand-born Lulu Sun defeated McCartney Kessler from America 6-4 6-3, while in the first match on Centre Court No 7 seed Petra Martic knocked out last year’s finalist Rebeka Masarova 3-6 6-3 6-3.

The No 8 seed Varvara Gracheva from France has also made it through to the second round, thanks to her lengthy 6-7 7-5 6-2 victory over Tereza Martincova.