Monica Puig playing confident tennis with new coach Kamau Murray

Feeling her game was becoming a bit stagnant, Monica Puig needed a change. So she packed her bags and moved to Chicago to train full time with Kamau Murray, former coach of Sloane Stephens.

The relationship has been a fruitful one, with Puig playing some of her best tennis this year, especially on clay. She made a run to the semifinals in Charleston, taking out Sonya Kenin, Arnya Sabalenka, and Danielle Collins, all in straight sets.

“We are bubbly and fun, but when it comes to getting work done we know what to do… we have a great dynamic,” Puig said of her new coach.

On Tuesday at Roland Garros, she dispatched Belgian Kirsten Flipkens with relative ease, 6-1, 7-5 to set up a second-round clash with Daria Kasatkina. All of their three previous meetings have gone the distance, with Kasatkina owning a 2-1 head to head advantage.

Kasatkina is the No. 21 seed, but judging by their previous results, Puig may be the favorite in this match. “We make each other rise to a different level,” Puig said of her Russian opponent, “it will be entertaining, that’s for sure.”