Coco Gauff, the 21-year-old tennis phenom and World No. 2, has set the stage for a thrilling American tennis showdown with a cheeky challenge to her male counterparts at the 2025 Cincinnati Open. Fresh off a doubles title in Montreal and a triumphant return to the site of her 2023 breakthrough, Gauff didn’t hold back in highlighting the dominance of American women in Grand Slam events, playfully nudging the men to step up. “It hasn’t been much of competition, no offense to them,” she said with a laugh during a press conference. “Was it three or four straight Slams with an American in the final? So, we’re doing pretty good on our end, they have to catch up.”
Gauff’s lighthearted jab underscores a golden era for American women’s tennis. Since her 2023 US Open victory, where she defeated Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, Gauff has been a trailblazer, adding a second major at the 2025 French Open with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 win over the same opponent. She’s not alone in her success. Madison Keys claimed her maiden Grand Slam at the 2025 Australian Open, beating Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, while Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova reached the finals of the 2024 US Open and 2025 Wimbledon, respectively. This run of four consecutive major finals with an American woman has solidified their dominance, with Gauff, Pegula, Keys, Anisimova, and Emma Navarro all ranking in the WTA top 10 at points this year. “That’s the beautiful thing about being an American,” Gauff reflected. “All of us look different. We have biracial, Black, white [players], all types of representation for girls and guys to look up to in the Top 10, or close to the Top 10.”
In contrast, the American men, while talented, have struggled to match this Grand Slam success. The last US male to win a major was Andy Roddick in 2003, and it took 15 years for Taylor Fritz to reach a Grand Slam final at the 2024 US Open, where he lost in straight sets to Jannik Sinner. Ben Shelton, a rising star at 22, has made waves with semifinals at the 2023 US Open and 2025 Australian Open, and his recent Canadian Open Masters 1000 title marks progress. Yet, Gauff’s challenge is clear: the men need to close the gap. “They have to catch up,” she reiterated, her words blending friendly rivalry with a call to action.
Gauff’s comments come from a place of camaraderie, as she shares a close bond with Fritz and Shelton, forged through shared Atlanta roots and moments like playing mixed doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Her dream is to see an American man and woman win the same Grand Slam, a feat nearly achieved last year when Fritz and Pegula both reached the US Open finals. “I would love to see in my lifetime like a woman and an American woman and male win the same Slam,” Gauff said. “We got it at US Open. They were both in the final, so hopefully maybe this U.S. Open some magic can happen.”
As the 2025 US Open approaches, Gauff is a leading contender, seeded No. 3 with an 18-2 record since parting with coach Brad Gilbert. Her revamped forehand and serve, guided by new coach Matt Daly, have made her a force on hard courts. Fritz (No. 4) and Shelton (No. 13) face tougher paths in a men’s field stacked with Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic, but their recent form—Fritz’s United Cup title alongside Gauff and Shelton’s Masters triumph—suggests potential. Gauff’s Cincinnati performance, where she won her first WTA 1000 title in 2023 by defeating Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-4, fuels her confidence. “It gave me the belief that I could win a Slam,” she said of that victory.
With the US Open on the horizon, Gauff’s playful dig has lit a spark under American tennis, setting the stage for a thrilling battle to see if the men can answer her call and join the women in rewriting the nation’s tennis legacy.
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