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The Roland-Garros finalist broke Buzarnescu's serve in the
fourth game and launched an 122 mph rocket to win the fifth,
only to best that with a 124 mph torpedo in the second set, the
fastest serves so far in the women's tournament.
Gauff, who never faced a break and won 85% of her first-serve
points, broke the Romanian again to close out the first set in a
brisk 31 minutes on Centre Court.
The 18-year-old slipped and fell in the sixth game of the second
set but never lost her poise, forcing Buzarnescu into an error
in the eighth game to break her serve.
She closed out the affair with an ace, one of 10 across the
match.
"I would say growing up I didn't expect myself to be as
comfortable as I am on the grass and the clay," she told
reporters.
"Playing an unpredictable surface, (what) I really credit a lot
is my speed and my ability to be able to react and adjust. I
think that's what you need on these surfaces."
The win set up a third-round showdown with compatriot and
20th-seeded Amanda Anisimova, who defeated fellow American
Lauren Davis 2-6 6-3 6-4 on Thursday.
Gauff exploded onto the global stage in 2019 when she reached
the fourth round at Wimbledon at just 15-years-old. She advanced
to the last 16 last year, as well.
"Today was the first time I walked on the court and really
wasn't nervous at all," said Gauff.
"It's a little bit of a home-court advantage. I do feel like
it's a home court for me. Majority of the time when I'm playing
on that court, I would say the majority of the crowd is with
me."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Christian
Radnedge)
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