Coco Gauff may be leading the American contingent at the WTA Finals, but her campaign didn’t begin as planned. The 21-year-old opened against compatriot and close friend Jessica Pegula, and a high number of double faults and unforced errors yet again marred her performance.
Gauff’s shaky start at the season-ending championship left many fans frustrated, with some even speculating whether the issues that troubled her earlier this year had resurfaced.
Fans React to Coco Gauff’s Concerning Performance Against Jessica Pegula in the WTA Finals
It was a highly anticipated round-robin clash, featuring the top two Americans from the Steffi Graf group. But from the outset, Gauff struggled to find her rhythm and grew visibly frustrated. She closed the set with five double faults and no aces, winning just 10 of 29 points on serve as Pegula confidently wrapped it up 6–3.
The second set was far more competitive, with both players trading momentum, but Gauff edged through the tiebreak 7–6(4) to force a decider. Pegula, however, quickly regained control in the third, surging ahead 3–2 with a forehand pass, and carried that momentum forward to close out the set 6-2 and eventually the match.
What truly raised alarms for Gauff was the sheer volume of errors, a staggering 17 double faults coupled with 75 unforced errors. The World No. 3 also faced 18 break points throughout the match and was broken on nine occasions.
Several fans reacted to Gauff’s struggles in the match, with one noting that the American can suddenly rebound with incredible intensity in her next match, making it hard to understand her fully.
“She pulls up next match guns blazing. Difficult to understand her,” they commented.
She pulls up next match guns blazing. Difficult to understand her https://t.co/R2D91anXXc
— BOYOT 👴 (@Kevlan_) November 2, 2025
“45 forehand unforced errors… sorry but that’s violently disgusting…,” another fan wrote.
“Painfully bad, definitely will not make it out of her group,” one chimed in.
A fan suggested that Gauff performs well for a few games, then loses momentum again, making matches frustrating for those watching her currently.
“She plays well for about 3 games straight then go back to default settings, you can’t even watch her match these days without getting pissed,” they wrote.
“oh Coco is back in the trenches ,” another weighed in.
oh Coco is back in the trenches https://t.co/un6viZ6mfX
— Serena’s snatched wig (@Danidilo2) November 2, 2025
“Genuinely what’s her problem, how can a player be so good so badly😭😭😭,” a fan said.
It’s worth noting that these errors have been evident throughout the season. Even in Gauff’s second-round victory at the WTA 1000 event in Montreal, she committed 23 double faults, the fifth-highest in a WTA match. She also currently tops the tour for the most double faults in 2025.