After a slow start to 2025, Coco Gauff is getting back to her brilliant best.
The 21-year-old reached her first final of the year at the Madrid Open as her form continues to improve, before she was edged out by Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 in a compelling final.
Despite losing, Gauff put on a thrilling display against Sabalenka as she fought back in the second set to try and salvage her title hopes.
The American was 3-0 down but made it 3-3, then when the Belarusian took a 5-3 lead, Gauff fought back again to make it 5-5, saving six break points in the process.
In the end Sabalenka would hold her nerve under pressure in her sixth final of 2025, as she added the Madrid title to her wins in Brisbane, Melbourne and Miami.
Aside from the final, the week in Madrid will serve as a reminder of just how competitive Gauff, the world no.4, can be on the red dirt.
Before reaching the final, she demolished Iga Swiatek 6-0, 6-1, a surface the Pole tends to dominate.
“I was aggressive and played with margin,” Gauff said after her victory.
“Obviously on clay she’s a different player, but clay is one of my better surfaces too, and I thought if I can beat her on hard I can beat her on clay.”
Next up for Gauff is the Italian Open, which is quickly followed by the French Open, a Grand Slam she has enjoyed modest success in and one that four-time ATP title winner and American Steve Johnson believes she can win.
“She definitely has a chance. She is one of, if not the best competitor, and the most mentally stable – week in, week out, day in and day out on the women’s side. She shows up and competes,” Johnson said on the Nothing Major podcast.
“She may not have some of her best tennis. We know her forehand is her weaker side and sometimes the serve can kind of go off the rails as well. But when she steps off court, she never seems to have any attitude issues.
Coco Gauff was satisfied with her showing in MadridGetty Madrid was Gauff’s first final of 2025Getty“I think she is going to take a lot of confidence from this Madrid final that she is starting to play her best tennis and I do think she is the third favourite to get to a French Open title.”
Gauff reached the final of the French Open at the age of 18 without dropping a set before losing 6-1 6-3 to Iga Swiatek.
The American has another two semi-finals and two final appearances in Paris and has also picked up the doubles title there, winning it in 2024 with Katerina Siniakova.
It’s no surprise Guaff tends to perform well on clay as it is a surface her former coach, Brad Gilbert, believes she shines the brightest on.
“Her movement (on clay) is such a good factor, but obviously (Iga) Swiatek has kind of established herself here at a young age as being dominant on clay,” Gilbert said in 2024, who won the US Open with Gauff in 2023.
“(Coco) made her first final of a major on clay, and so that obviously kind of makes you feel like ‘OK, maybe that should be my best surface’.
“Andre (Agassi) got to the finals of the French a couple of times when he was really young, and you thought he would win that. And then that became the last (major title of the four) he could win.”
Having registered a first clay court win over the champion of the last three French Opens in Swiatek, Gauff will certainly feel there isn’t a player she cannot beat on this surface.
Roland Garros is not a place where she is just a contender, but is arguably the best place for her to win the second major of her career.
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