Coco Gauff talked about her performance following her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the 2025 Madrid Open. This was Gauff’s fifth loss to the World No. 1 in their 10 encounters on the WTA Tour.
Coco Gauff Opens Up About Loss to Aryna Sabalenka in the Final of the 2025 Madrid Open
Gauff was seeded fourth at the WTA 1000 clay court event in Madrid and she kicked off her campaign with a bye to the second round. She secured victories over Dayana Yastremska, Ann Li, and Belinda Bencic to book her place in the quarterfinals.
Here, she triumphed over seventh seed Mirra Andreeva, and then went on to defeat second seed Iga Świątek in the semifinals to secure her place in the final. Despite her impressive run, Gauff fell short in the championship match, losing 3-6, 6-7(3) to Aryna Sabalenka.
Reflecting on her performance in the final, Gauff acknowledged that her low first serve percentage was problematic against Sabalenka’s “aggressive” playstyle.
“Yeah, I think the first serve percentage was really low today and when you’re playing someone as aggressive as Aryna [Sabalenka], you have to serve, maybe not amazing but you have to put more first serves in the court. I wish I could’ve done that better,” Coco Gauff said.
The World No. 4 lamented the fact that she had some chances in the match to gain the upper hand but was unable to utilize it. She said that she will learn from these mistakes and improve.
“You know, I was there, I had a set point in the second set and a couple of chances in the tiebreak to go up. So, I don’t know, take it, learn from it and go back to practice and do better next time,” she added.
Coco Gauff Next Expected To Compete at the 2025 Italian Open
Gauff is set to compete at the 2025 Italian Open which is scheduled to take place from May 6 to May 18, 2025. The match of the tournament will be played on the outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy.
In addition to Gauff, players like Sabalenka, defending champion Świątek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, and Jasmine Paolini, among others will also be participating in the WTA 1000 clay court tournament in Rome.
In 2024, in the singles event, Gauff was seeded third and she began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She overcame Magdalena Fręch 6-3, 6-3 in the second round and then overcame lucky loser Jaqueline Cristian 6-1, 0-6, 6-3 and Paula Badosa 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 to book her place in the quarterfinals.
Here, the current World No. 4 triumphed 7-6(4), 6-1 over seventh seed Zheng Qinwen before falling 4-6, 3-6 to top seed and eventual champion Świątek in the semifinals. Gauff’s best results at the Italian Open came in the doubles event in 2023 and 2024, having finished as the runner-up in both years while partnering Jessica Pegula.
