Following a hard-fought victory in the Round of 32 at the 2025 Canadian Open, Coco Gauff was both relieved and disappointed. The American tennis pro defeated Veronika Kudermetova in a three-set thriller. After dropping the first set 4-6, Gauff returned in style, taking the next two sets 7-5, 6-2, to advance to the next round.
After the match, the American star opened up about about her serving struggles in the post-match conference. She said:
“Yeah, I mean, there’s positives and there’s negatives. Obviously I am so disappointed in myself when it comes to that part of the game just because I didn’t play D.C. to work on that and made changes to that and doing well in practice and serving really well in practice. Yeah, so I just would like for it to transfer to the match.”
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Gauff recorded 14 double faults in the match where her opponent only faulted once. However, Gauff won 72% of his first serve points and 83% of his second serve points. She added:
"It does give positives that, okay, I'm winning these matches having literally like one part of my game on a crutch. So it's like if I can stand on both feet, then I can only imagine that it would be a lot more straightforward and a lot more easier for me."
Coco Gauff reflects on two back-to-back three-set thrillers
Coco Gauff has been made to work hard by her opponents. In her first match (Round of 64), Gauff survived an intense, nearly three-hour marathon
The American committed a staggering 23 double faults before winning the match 7‑5, 4‑6, 7‑6(2). At one point, she was two points away from defeat in the final set but turned it around with clutch play in the breaker.
The 21-year-old had another three-set thriller on Thursday. With already over five hours of the match, a reporter asked whether it will affect further matches in the tournament. Coco Gauff replied:
"Yeah, I mean, my energy level is there. I'm not quite at the point where these matches tire me out physically. I was training in Florida for three weeks having, like, three-, three-and-a-half-hour practices, plus fitness in 90-degree weather with humidity. So it doesn't feel as long as it is said, but I would love to get these matches under the two-hour mark, but if that's what it takes, I'm here to be out here."
Coco Gauff will next face Victoria Mboko in the Round of 16. It remains to be seen if she can get past the three-set thriller she's getting used to these days due to her serving struggles.
