The quarterfinals at the 2025 Cincinnati Open promise fireworks when Jasmine Paolini takes on Coco Gauff in what could be their most significant meeting yet. Both players enter with everything to prove, and their head-to-head series couldn’t be more perfectly balanced.
How Will Jasmine Paolini Handle Her Second Cincinnati Quarterfinal Against Coco Gauff?
This matchup marks the second encounter between the two players at this WTA 1000 hard-court event. Their previous meeting came in the 2023 quarterfinals, where the World No. 2 triumphed with a 6-3, 6-2 score. Gauff then went on to defeat Karolína Muchová in the final to win the title.
The rivalry between Paolini and Gauff has developed into one of the tour’s most compelling storylines. They have faced each other four times on the WTA Tour, with each player claiming victory in two matches. Their most recent clash took place in the final of the 2025 Italian Open, where the former World No. 4 emerged victorious with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-2, claiming her second WTA 1000 singles title and third career singles title.
At the 2025 Cincinnati Open, Paolini is seeded seventh and began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She secured a victory against Maria Sakkari in her opening match, winning 7-6(2), 7-6(5), and then advanced past 26th seed Ashlyn Krueger with a score of 7-6(2), 6-1 in the third round.
Paolini secured her place in the quarterfinals by defeating Barbora Krejčíková 6-1, 6-2 in the fourth round. During the post-match on-court interview, the Italian revealed her strategies for coping with the extreme heat in Cincinnati during matches.
“I just try to stay there, and every changeover I take the ice sausage,” Paolini said.
Jasmine Paolini after beating Barbora Krejcikova in Cincinnati
“How do you manage these conditions when it gets this warm?”
Jasmine: “Every changeover I take the ice sausage” 😂😂😂😂
pic.twitter.com/AVmgw3T9En
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 14, 2025
Looking ahead to her upcoming match against Gauff, Paolini indicated that she plans to implement tactics reminiscent of her clay-court play. Both of her victories over Gauff on the Tour have occurred on clay, making this hard-court battle even more intriguing.
The former World No. 4 described Gauff as an “amazing player” and expressed that it would be great to compete against a “champion” like her.
“I should play like on a clay court. But it’s tough to play here. It’s so different here, fast. It is always nice to play against a champion like Coco. I’m not sure it will be good on clay, she won Roland Garros. Coco is an amazing player,” she continued.
Paolini on what she has to do to beat Coco Gauff on a hard court
Jasmine: “I should play like on a clay court” 😂
“Ben Navarro spent $260 million. Maybe we’ll get clay brought in”
Jasmine: “I’m not sure it’s good on clay.. she won Roland Garros” 😂
pic.twitter.com/rEOj1f0gVb
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 14, 2025
After her victory over Krejčíková, Paolini spoke with Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj. She recalled her previous loss to Gauff in Cincinnati in 2023 and expressed her desire to reverse the outcome this year.
“We faced two times this year. I lost against her here on the grandstand. I remember that. Five games. Hopefully, I’m gonna do better. She’s an amazing player, as I have always said. An amazing personality. So I like her, honestly, and we’ll see. Hopefully, we are going to play a nice match, a night match. So we’ll see,” Paolini added.
Meanwhile, Gauff, seeded second, began her run at the 2025 Cincinnati Open in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. En route to the quarterfinals against Paolini, she defeated Wang Xinyu and received a walkover against 32nd-ranked Dayana Yastremska and beat Lucia Bronzetti in the fourth round.
The winner of the match between Paolini and Gauff will advance to face either Veronika Kudermetova or qualifier Varvara Gracheva in the semifinals.
