Coco Gauff has been on an absolute tear at the Italian Open, booking her ticket to the singles championship match after shutting down Sorana Cîrstea’s run in the semifinals. The American was also hoping to compete in the doubles draw alongside her longtime partner, Caty McNally. However, McNally had to unexpectedly abandon their Rome doubles campaign, leaving Gauff to jokingly lament the cancellation as she prepares for Saturday’s final.
Coco Gauff Shifts Focus to Rome Final After Doubles Partner Caty McNally Withdraws Due To Illness
McNally and Gauff, known as “McCoco” among fans, played as a doubles team primarily from 2019 through early 2022, and once in April 2023. The duo captured three WTA titles (Washington 2019, Luxembourg 2019, and Parma 2021), reached the 2021 US Open final, and also secured a critical win for Team USA during the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers.
During their May 2026 reunion in Rome, Gauff and McNally opened with a round-of-32 victory against Aldila Sutjiadi and Janice Tjen, and defeated Marie Bouzková and Alexandra Panova in straight sets (6-3, 7-5) to reach the quarterfinals. They were scheduled to play against the 7th seeds, Cristina Bucșa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez, on Thursday, but McNally had to withdraw due to a sudden illness.
McNally took to her Instagram Story to break the news to fans, sharing a photo of the duo smiling together on the red clay.
“Sad to have to pull out of dubs today due to sickness,” McNally wrote. “Unfortunately my body just couldn’t recover in time. Time to get some rest and get ready for French ❤️❤️❤️”
For Gauff, the sudden withdrawal meant an unexpected gap in her schedule just 24 hours before her high-stakes singles final. During a sit-down interview with Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj, Gauff was asked what her final day of preparation usually looks like. She responded with her healthy dose of dry humor, admitting she was bummed about missing out on the doubles action.
“Honestly, it’s the same as every other day,” Gauff said. “Unfortunately, Caty had to pull out of the doubles, so I was actually looking forward to playing that right now instead of being here; no offense!”
Amritraj took the joke perfectly in stride, laughing and replying, “None taken! I don’t blame you; I’d rather be playing doubles with Caty than sitting here, too.”
“Exactly,” Gauff smiled.
Gauff now has a simple plan for the newly freed-up time.
“So, it’s just practice tomorrow to fine-tune a few things, go out to eat, and be ready for Saturday,” she added.
Gauff’s final match against Elina Svitolina will take place on Saturday, May 16, at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, at 11:30 a.m. ET (5:30 p.m. local time), to be streamed on the Tennis Channel.
