NEW YORK — Reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff contributed to the Shot of the Week title with a perfectly executed forehand volley in her second-round victory over Tatjana Maria on Tuesday night.

US Open: Results | To draw | Order of play

Making her debut in the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff lost just four games to the wily German, who worked tirelessly to force Gauff into lengthy all-court rallies during their 80-minute duel. The match-up forced Gauff to show her improvisational skills, and her stab-volley winner in the closing stages of the first set did just that.

Gauff looked to serve out the opening set at 5-4, deuce, but was pulled into the net by Maria’s short slice return. Gauff responded with a slice approach of her own, but the ball landed right in Maria’s strike zone. The German threw a one-handed backhand drive down the line, which Gauff pulled out to mark.

Her agility paid off. Gauff responded with such a great sidespin that the ball landed just inside the sideline and into the umpire’s chair, out of Maria’s reach.

Check out the crazy point below:

Gauff finally closed out the set and won 6-4, 6-0. With that, she faced a tough opponent in the third round against Elina Svitolina.

After the match, Gauff went straight to the practice courts to work on her serve. After hitting 10 aces and serving at 64 percent in her first match, she hit nine double faults against Maria and served at just 44 percent.

“I obviously didn’t serve great at all,” Gauff said. “I got lucky. I think I only got broken once, but I probably could have gotten broken a couple more times. So I just hit a serve. From the ground up I felt fine.”