Coco Gauff has a tough road ahead to defend her US Open title, with a possible three-time Grand Slam winner in her half of the draw
Two-time Grand Slam champ Coco Gauff has discovered her potential route to the 2025 US Open final, which could include potential showdowns with Naomi Osaka and the returning Venus Williams. This comes after she parted ways with coach Matt Daly due to her fluctuating performance.
At 21, Gauff’s year has been a rollercoaster, featuring two WTA tournament finals in Italy and Spain, a French Open Grand Slam victory, but also early departures from competitions in the Middle East and Wimbledon.
Gauff’s serve has been a weak point, with a staggering 42 double faults in just three matches at the Canadian Open, including six in her loss to tournament victor and teen prodigy Victoria Mboko in the fourth round. The American starlet has also grappled with her forehand and inconsistency on varying court surfaces.
On the brink of the US Open in New York, Gauff shook up her coaching team to tackle these issues.
After parting ways with Daly, she enlisted the help of Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics guru who previously assisted world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in rectifying her problematic serve.
She is set to face either Donna Vekic or Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round. In the third round, she could be up against a seeded player.
If she can overcome Talia Gibson in Round 1 and either Peyton Stearns or a qualifier in Round 2, No. 28 seed Magdalena Frech lies in Gauff’s path.
Gauff could potentially face off against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, provided that the Japanese tennis sensation can bounce back from her defeat to Mboko in the Canadian Open final. Osaka opted out of the US Open tune-up at the Cincinnati Open.
Venus Williams is also set to make a comeback to singles competition at the US Open, following her return to the sport at the DC Open earlier this summer.
The 45-year-old seven-time Grand Slam winner could potentially meet Gauff in the quarterfinals if she manages to pull off a dream run in New York.
A potential semifinal clash with No. 3 Iga Swiatek, who clinched victories at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open, could be on the cards for Gauff if Swiatek maintains her winning streak in the Big Apple.
Swiatek shares a half with Gauff. Sabalenka is aiming to retain her world No. 1 ranking as the Grand Slam season comes to a close.
The Belarusian could potentially face Gauff in the US Open final if both players manage to advance to that stage, having been placed on opposite sides of the draw.
However, Sabalenka finds herself in the same half of the draw as 2021 champion Emma Raducanu and Elena Rybakina, who bested her in the Cincinnati semifinals with a score of 6-1, 6-4.
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