In a display of raw resilience, Coco Gauff, the world No. 2 and top seed at the 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal, fought her way into the fourth round on July 31, 2025, despite a serving performance that left her visibly frustrated. The 21-year-old American overcame Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova in a grueling three-set battle, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, but her 14 double faults—added to the 23 from her previous match against Danielle Collins—underscored a persistent issue that threatens her US Open preparations. With 37 double faults across two matches, Gauff’s mental toughness has been the key to her survival, earning praise from analysts and fans alike as she prepares to face Canada’s rising star, Victoria Mboko, next.
Gauff’s Montreal campaign began with a first-round bye, followed by a chaotic second-round win over compatriot Danielle Collins, a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2) epic that lasted nearly three hours. That match saw Gauff commit 23 double faults, the joint-highest in a WTA match since 2011, tying records set by Aryna Sabalenka and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Against Kudermetova, Gauff’s serve remained erratic, with 13 of her 14 double faults coming in the first two sets. She surged to a 4-1 lead in the opening set, only to unravel with consecutive double faults at 4-4, handing Kudermetova the momentum. “I felt that I was playing well except that part of my game,” Gauff admitted post-match, reflecting on her groundstrokes’ reliability despite her serving struggles.
The second set was a test of Gauff’s resolve. Down a break early after missing six consecutive serves, she vented her frustration by smacking her racket onto the court—a rare outburst for the typically composed champion. Yet, trailing 4-4 with Kudermetova a point from serving out the match, Gauff dug deep, saving break points and leveling the set. “There’s positives and there’s negatives,” she said, acknowledging her ability to win despite “one part of my game on a crutch.” In the third set, Gauff found her rhythm, dropping just one double fault and capitalizing on Kudermetova’s fading form to close out the match with eight straight points to start the decider. Her 9-1 three-set record in 2025 highlights her knack for thriving under pressure.
Gauff’s serving woes are not new. In 2024, she led the WTA Tour in double faults, with 21 in losses to Sabalenka at Wuhan and a win over Moyuka Uchijima at Indian Wells. Her 19 double faults in a US Open loss to Emma Navarro last year prompted her to part ways with coach Brad Gilbert and hire grip specialist Matt Daly, who adjusted her racket hold to reduce topspin reliance. While practice sessions in Florida showed promise, Gauff lamented, “I’m very disappointed with myself regarding that part of the game just because I didn’t play in Washington to work on that and made changes… I was serving really well in practice.” Former world No. 1 doubles player Rennae Stubbs pinpointed technical flaws, noting on social media, “She 100% needs a kick second serve but she’s unable to do that with her grip and her ball toss. Also, she gets forward too early, and her elbow is low.”
Despite the challenges, Gauff’s mental fortitude has drawn widespread admiration. “No matter what is happening, Coco never gives up. Never!” Stubbs wrote, echoing sentiments from Hall-of-Fame coach Rick Macci, who believes her serve could be fixed with biomechanical tweaks. Gauff herself finds solace in her resilience: “The positive is that I’m winning these matches literally having a part of my game on crutches. If I could lean on both feet, then I can only imagine it would be much easier.” Her doubles performance offered a glimmer of hope, as she committed no double faults alongside partner McCartney Kessler in a first-round win, advancing to face Ellen Perez and Lyudmyla Kichenok.
Off the court, Gauff’s Montreal run was briefly overshadowed by a broadcast controversy during her Kudermetova match, where a commentator’s inappropriate remark about Kudermetova’s personal life sparked social media backlash. Gauff, unfazed, kept her focus, a testament to her growing maturity. As she gears up for Mboko, whom she defeated 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in Rome earlier this year, Gauff remains optimistic. “She’s definitely playing like one of the top players in the world right now,” she said of the world No. 85 Canadian, whose ranking has soared from outside the top 300. With the US Open looming, Gauff’s ability to “survive and advance,” as she put it, keeps her in contention, but resolving her serve will be crucial to unlocking her full potential.
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