Coco Gauff, the world No. 2 and two-time Grand Slam champion, found herself with an unexpected day off at the 2025 Cincinnati Open when her third-round opponent, Dayana Yastremska, withdrew just hours before their scheduled match on August 12, 2025. The sudden cancellation, due to Yastremska’s illness, handed Gauff a walkover into the fourth round, allowing the 21-year-old American to trade the intensity of the tennis court for the lively atmosphere of a baseball game. Gauff seized the moment to attend a Cincinnati Reds game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park, embracing a rare chance to unwind during a grueling WTA 1000 tournament. “Hey guys, it’s Coco, and I’m excited to be here supporting the Reds. It’s my first Reds baseball game and I’m having a great time,” Gauff shared in a video posted by the Reds’ official social media account, capturing her enthusiasm as a spectator.
The cancellation stemmed from Yastremska’s ongoing health struggles, which she detailed after her withdrawal. “For the past few days, I’ve been taking strong antibiotics, which have caused severe intoxication,” the Ukrainian explained, noting that her heart rate spiked dangerously during her second-round match against Viktoriya Tomova, which she won 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. “During the match against Tomova, I felt really unwell – my heart was just racing,” she said, adding that she skipped practice the previous day and, after consulting doctors, chose to prioritize her health. “For now, I’ll take a few days off from training, and then I’ll start preparing for the US Open.” The withdrawal marked a missed opportunity for a highly anticipated rematch, as Yastremska had stunned Gauff 7-6(3), 6-1 in the first round of Wimbledon earlier in 2025, ending her bid to follow up her French Open title.
Gauff, who holds a 3-1 head-to-head lead over Yastremska, had viewed the Cincinnati clash as a chance to gauge her progress. “I don’t ever think of revenge-type of tennis,” she said in a press conference after her 6-3, 6-2 second-round win over Wang Xinyu. “I think for me, it’s a good measure to see where my game is. I felt that Wimbledon match was a tough loss for me, and I don’t think I approached it as well. Dayana, I always have trouble against her. She’s a tough opponent, great ball striker, can pull winners out of anywhere.” Despite the cancellation, Gauff’s advancement to the fourth round sets up a match against Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, who upset 23rd seed Jelena Ostapenko 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Gauff, with a 2-0 record against Bronzetti, is favored to advance to the quarterfinals, where she could face seventh seed Jasmine Paolini or Barbora Krejčíková.
The unexpected break allowed Gauff to step away from the pressures of the hardcourt swing, which has been challenging since her French Open triumph in June. After a third-round loss to Victoria Mboko at the Canadian Open, Gauff rebounded in Cincinnati with a strong start, though her serve remains a concern, with eight double faults against Wang. “In the second set, I was able to find my rhythm,” she told the crowd, crediting improved serving for her victory. Her visit to the Reds game, where she posed with team members and shared a photo from the stands on Instagram, reflected her love for other sports, a trait rooted in her childhood. “My parents always never wanted me to specify in a sport,” Gauff once recalled, noting how she played basketball and track alongside tennis until her teens, even missing an All-Star basketball game for the junior US Open.
Gauff’s affinity for baseball is personal, as she often cheers for her brother Codey, who committed to Mizzou Baseball in 2024. Her presence at Great American Ball Park, warmly acknowledged by the Reds—“Great to have our friends from the Cincinnati Open with us tonight!”—highlighted her ability to connect with fans across sports. As she prepares to face Bronzetti on August 13, Gauff carries the momentum of her 2023 Cincinnati title, which she called a “statement tournament” that gave her “the belief that I could win a Slam.” With the US Open looming, where she won her first major in 2023, Gauff’s ability to balance competition and relaxation could be key to another deep run, cementing her status as a leader in American tennis’s golden era.
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