In a whirlwind of a season, Coco Gauff, the world’s No. 2-ranked tennis star, has been navigating the highs and lows of professional tennis with remarkable poise. Fresh off a commanding 6-3, 6-2 victory over China’s Xinyu Wang in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, the 21-year-old American found herself with an unexpected opportunity to catch her breath. Her anticipated third-round clash with Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, a formidable opponent who stunned her at Wimbledon earlier this summer, was canceled when Yastremska withdrew due to illness. This twist of fate handed Gauff a walkover into the Round of 16, and she seized the moment to take a brief, yet surprising, break from the court.
Gauff’s journey to this point in the 2025 season has been a rollercoaster. After clinching her second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in June, the transition to grass courts proved challenging. She suffered an early exit at the Grass Court Championships in Berlin, falling to Xinyu Wang in the Round of 16. The disappointment deepened at Wimbledon, where Yastremska, then ranked No. 42, delivered a shocking 7-6(3), 6-1 upset in the first round. That loss, which marked Gauff as only the third woman in the Open Era to exit Wimbledon’s first round after winning the French Open, left her visibly emotional. “I don’t really like losing,” she admitted tearfully post-match. “I just feel a little bit disappointed in how I showed up today.” She attributed the defeat to mental overload following her Paris triumph, noting, “I felt like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards, so I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it.”
The Cincinnati Open, a WTA 1000 event, offered Gauff a chance to reset on the hard courts where she’s historically thrived. Her victory over Wang was a statement of intent, showcasing her aggressive baseline play and improved serving. Despite a shaky start with eight double faults in her first three service games, she found her rhythm, converting all five break points offered by Wang and saving five of seven against her. “It feels great to be back in Cincinnati,” Gauff said after the match. “Obviously, two years ago I won, and it set me up for a great two weeks in New York [winning the US Open], so it means a lot to me, this tournament.” Her performance underscored her dominance in WTA 1000 opening matches, with a 36-8 record in such contests before her 22nd birthday, a feat only surpassed by Martina Hingis in the format’s history.
The anticipated rematch with Yastremska carried extra weight. Gauff holds a 3-1 head-to-head edge over the Ukrainian, but their most recent encounter at Wimbledon stung deeply. Reflecting on the upcoming clash before Yastremska’s withdrawal, Gauff dismissed the idea of seeking revenge. “I don’t ever think of like a revenge type of tennis,” she explained. “At first, I used to think like that, but then I’m like, I’ve played too many people too many times to have a revenge mindset.” Instead, she viewed the match as a benchmark for her progress. “I think for me, it’s a good measure to see where my game is. I always have trouble against her. She’s a tough opponent, a great ball striker, and can pull winners out of anywhere.”
With Yastremska sidelined, Gauff took an unexpected detour, trading the tennis court for the stands at Great American Ball Park. She shared an Instagram story capturing her enjoying a Major League Baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies. This brief escape offered a moment of levity for the young star, who has shouldered immense pressure since her breakout at Wimbledon in 2019 at age 15. The break could prove timely as she prepares for her Round of 16 match against Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, with potential showdowns against top players like Jelena Ostapenko, Jasmine Paolini, or even Aryna Sabalenka looming in the tournament’s later stages.
Gauff’s 2025 season has been a testament to her resilience. Despite setbacks in Berlin, Wimbledon, and a Round of 16 loss to 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko at the Canadian Open, she remains a force on hard courts, boasting a 34-11 win-loss record on the surface this year. Her decision to skip the US Open’s mixed doubles event, citing a packed schedule and her competitive nature—“I’m very competitive; if I were to lose, I would not be happy”—reflects her focus on prioritizing singles success. As she eyes a deep run in Cincinnati and builds momentum for the upcoming US Open, where she’s the defending champion, Gauff’s brief hiatus at the ballpark might just be the reset she needs to chase another title.
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