Coco Gauff, who broke out on the WTA Tour when she was just 15 years old, has revealed how she feels about facing younger opponents after locking horns with 19-year-old qualifier Alina Korneeva in the fourth round at the 2026 Canadian Open.
Drawing on her own experience as a teenager on the professional circuit, the 22-year-old explained why she never allows herself to become complacent when facing younger rivals.
Why Coco Gauff Stays on Her Toes Against Younger Opponents
After claiming dominant straight-set wins over Kayla Day and Maria Sakkari, No. 4 seed Gauff produced another clinical display against Alina Korneeva in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event. The American secured a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Korneeva to book her spot in the quarterfinals, improving her winning record against teenagers to 19-2.
During her post-match press conference, Gauff revealed that she had been underestimated by other players early in her career, which helped her pull off several upsets.
“I mean, it’s something I think about sometimes. I don’t know. I think because people made my age such a thing when I was younger, I feel like, if anything, I don’t take their age for granted. Sometimes I felt people on tour when I was younger took me for granted because of my age, and that’s how I was able to sneak a lot of wins sometimes,” Gauff said.
Remembering those experiences, the American said she refused to make the same mistake when taking on younger rivals and made a conscious effort to remain even more alert.
“So, because I had that experience, I know not to take their age for granted. And just because they’re young, knowing that they’re not going to shy away from the spotlight or be nervous or anything like that. So I feel like, if anything, it makes me just stay on my toes even more,” she added.
The world No. 4 also shared that her lack of experience against Korneeva kept her on her toes throughout the encounter. Gauff further expressed confidence in the 19-year-old’s potential, predicting that she would soon establish herself as a regular presence on the tour.
“Especially playing someone that I’ve never played before, I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t watch a lot of her matches. I watched her when she was in juniors. I know she had good junior results, but I hadn’t watched her on tour, so today I just really felt on my toes,” she said.
“That’s kind of how it is when you’re playing youngsters who you maybe don’t see as much on tour. I’m sure next year she’s going to be a regular here,” she added.
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Up next, Coco Gauff will square off against No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic in a blockbuster quarterfinal clash at the Canadian Open. The American is aiming to win her first title of the season at the WTA 1000 event while building momentum ahead of the US Open.
