Coco Gauff won the longest match of her career, defeating China’s Zheng Qinwen to reach the 2025 Italian Open final. The extended battle, however, was marked by a high unforced error count and a string of breaks for both players.
In fact, many fans voiced strong criticism for the erratic and lengthy semifinal at Foro Italico, which dragged on well past midnight.
Fans Livid With Coco Gauff vs Zheng Qinwen Italian Open SF
Both players gave their all in the grueling battle, but a high number of unforced errors—156 combined—stood out as a major concern. The American committed 82 unforced errors against just 27 winners, while the Chinese player recorded 74 unforced errors and only 22 winners.
The pair converted just 19 of the 44 break points they faced—Zheng capitalized on 10 opportunities, while Gauff managed 9. Coco Gauff, who won the first set 7-6 (3), just won 58% of the first serve and 35% of the second-serve points.
The world No. 8, meanwhile, won just 50% of her first-serve points and just 39% of the second-serve points. Zheng staged a comeback in the second set, taking it 6-4, but her American opponent responded with grit in a tightly contested third set, edging it 7-6 (4), closing out the match after 3 hours and 32 minutes.
Although both players were fully engaged in what proved to be an extremely tight contest, fans were left disappointed with the overall quality of the match.
“Horrendous tennis on display from start to finish,” one fan said.
Horrendous tennis on display from start to finish.
— Montecinas (@Montecinas)
Interestingly, while Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen’s sets lasted 75, 56, and 68 minutes, respectively, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who took the court before them, demolished Casper Ruud in two sets (6-0, 6-1), with the entire contest lasting just 64 minutes.
“Going from watching Sinner masterclass to that… rough,” one fan wrote.
“The weakest match of the entire tournament, pathetic that it was SF,” a fan claimed.
A fan expressed their disapproval, writing:
“That was something else. Not a good something else. Man yikes”
That was something else. Not a good something else. Man yikes
— Albert (@Albertg34)
Here are a few more reactions from the fans:
“Pretty impressive to be in the final without a forehand or serve what a terrible match,” a fan commented.
“Pretty terrible advert of women’s tennis this. Kudos to those who stayed at the stadium to watch this….,” another chimed.
Coco Gauff to Lock Horns With Jasmine Paolini in the Italian Open Summit Clash
Despite its topsy-turvy nature, Gauff managed to get past the Italian Open semifinals and now aims to become the first American to win the title since Serena Williams in 2016.
She takes on home favorite Jasmine Paolini, marking only the third time that an Italian woman will play the summit clash in Rome.
The 21-year-old leads 2-1 in their head-to-head, but the Italian won their most recent encounter 6-4, 6-3 at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix last month.
Gauff is assured of securing the No. 2 spot in the WTA rankings regardless of the outcome in the Rome final. Jasmine Paolini, meanwhile, has already guaranteed her place in the Top 5 and could climb to No. 4 by winning the title on home soil.
