“Hopefully, I can bring a better level and hopefully win the title. If not, I’m proud just really of this [semifinal] match, too,” said a jubilant Coco Gauff after edging past Chinese 8th seed Qinwen Zheng in a midnight thriller that lasted nearly 3 hours and 33 minutes, ending 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(4). Despite the victory, Gauff racked up 16 double faults, a concern that followed her into the final, where she lost in straight sets to Jasmine Paolini. Watching closely, former US Open champion Andy Roddick offered an unusual piece of advice for Coco ahead of her French Open journey. Want to know what the American said?
With Italian President Sergio Mattarella among the enthusiastic spectators at the Foro Italico in Rome, Jasmine Paolini delivered a commanding performance, defeating Coco Gauff by a score of 6-4, 6-2. Paolini stormed to a 3-0 lead in the 2nd set with two early breaks. Although Gauff broke back and held serve, she couldn’t shift the momentum. Paolini sealed the win with a powerful serve down the middle after Coco saved one match point.
For Gauff, the loss marked her 2nd consecutive ultimate defeat in just weeks, a tough blow ahead of the French Open starting May 25. In light of the pressing circumstances, former top-ranked player Andy Roddick has provided Coco with unconventional guidance before her Roland-Garros tournament.
Speaking to Tennis Channel immediately after the match, former top Andy Roddick didn’t hold back in his assessment of Coco Gauff’s performance in the Italian Open final. “The forehand, which we all talk about all the time, is always going to be in the back of her head until it is not,” he remarked. “All of us say she has to be aggressive on it, she has to go for it, I actually think the opposite. If she is not finding it early, there is not a world where she can get to 33 errors on that side in two sets.”
Roddick further explained why a change in strategy, being aggressive early, might help Gauff find her rhythm from the baseline. “I actually think it goes the other way. I think she should be aggressive early, and if it’s not there and the errors are mounting, I think she has to use her mojo and her legs to try and find herself in the match,” he added.
“She kind of made it a bit easier for Paolini, especially when she is trying to close out. She did not give nerves a stage, because she kept dumping forehands, and it felt like she went more and more and more aggressive as the errors count kept mounting. I think she might go the other way and go. Listen, if you are going to beat me, you are going to have to put the ball past me.”
On the other hand, tennis legend Jim Courier pointed out Gauff’s emotional response during the match in the same show. “I thought this match was going to get tough and tight, maybe [Jasmine] Paolini would start to feel the moment, but she did not seem to have any bobbles at the finish line and Coco [Gauff] came out a little bit flatter from an emotional stand point than, perhaps, any of us were expecting,” Courier observed.
The former US champion Gauff remains undeterred. The American star appears far from demotivated as she sets her sights firmly on the upcoming Roland-Garros, where she hopes to turn the tide and fulfill her GS ambitions.
“Can get to the final in Roland Garros,” Coco Gauff remains optimistic about Roland-Garros despite Italy’s heartbreak
At the beginning of May, Coco Gauff suffered a tough loss to Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Madrid Open. Just two weeks later, history repeated itself in Rome, where Gauff fell to Italy’s own Jasmine Paolini in the final of the Italian Open. Despite back-to-back defeats in high-stakes matches, Gauff remained optimistic and looked ahead to the French Open with renewed determination.
Speaking at a post-match press conference after Italian Open heartbreak, she added, “Yeah, I think it’s both confidence and motivation to do better. Hopefully, I can get to the final in Roland Garros and maybe the ‘third time is a charm’ thing is a real thing. That’s looking so far ahead.”
However, the American top seed found a silver lining in her performances. According to Gauff, reaching consecutive finals on the clay despite not playing her best tennis has boosted her confidence as she prepares for the GS in Paris.
“I made the final with those errors. Made the final, maybe not playing my best tennis. It just gives me confidence if I can find that good form heading into Roland Garros, I can do well there,” Gauff said.
Though Coco finished runner-up in both Madrid and Rome, she enters the Parisian clay court riding high in the WTA rankings. The big question now: can she conquer the French clay and reclaim her throne?
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