Coco Gauff, just 21 and already a two-time Grand Slam champion, stands as one of tennis’s brightest stars, her athleticism unrivaled, her backhand punishing, and her serve capable of touching 130 miles per hour. Yet, under the lights of Cincinnati, the world No. 2 faltered. With a golden chance to march into the semifinals, she was stunned by Italian Jasmine Paolini. And the twist? As one ex-pro revealed, it wasn’t Paolini’s brilliance alone but Gauff’s own glaring weakness that allowed an underconfident opponent to rise, strike, and deliver a shock that reverberated through the tournament.
Jasmine Paolini battled past Coco Gauff under the Friday night lights in Cincinnati, rallying for a gritty 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 quarterfinal victory, her third triumph over the American in as many meetings this season. The Italian not only overcame the pressure of facing the world No. 2 but also fought through her own physical strain and the draining mental toll of such a heavyweight clash.
At the start of the deciding set, Paolini rolled her ankle chasing down a blistering forehand, yet after a quick trainer visit, she shook off the pain and broke Gauff immediately. With Gauff still unable to find a semifinal breakthrough in Canada or Ohio, former ace Lindsay Davenport weighed in, offering sharp analysis of the loss.
On the recent Tennis Channel podcast, former American ace Lindsay Davenport broke down exactly where Coco Gauff’s night unraveled in Cincinnati. “Yeah, the best Coco played was the beginning of this match. Absolutely dominated out here. Paolini ended that first set with one winner and 17 unforced errors. And Gauff was so consistent around the court. She was aggressive at times. She was consistent at others,” Davenport explained, pinpointing how the American stamped her authority early.
CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 15: Coco Gauff of the United States reacts during the quarterfinal round of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 15, 2025 in Mason, OH. Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire TENNIS: AUG 15 Cincinnati Open EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon250815037
But Davenport was quick to highlight the dramatic shift. “But something shifted early in the second after Gauff was able to get the first set. Interesting how this match just went up and down out here. Gauff served left at the beginning of the second. She then got broken at one stage five times in a row. And Paolini was just consistent from the back of the court. She was making shots,” she noted, underlining how momentum slipped away.
The analysis only grew sharper. Davenport added, “Wasn’t even going for that much. Ended up the match with, I believe, 14 doubles. And just when the serve went, so did Coco’s confidence. And the forehand then started to make some errors.” She painted the picture of a player unraveling from the inside out, while Paolini, once hesitant, began to sense opportunity. “And Paolini, who in the beginning didn’t seem like she believed she could win, all of a sudden had a little bit more energy. She’s a little bit more consistent. She started making a lot of returns into play and really started to pressure Gauff.”
The turning point was sealed when Paolini fought through her own scare. “At one stage in the third set, Paolini sprained her ankle, then recovered beautifully and ended up with a huge win for her. But Steve, 44 errors to seven winners, and that’s the winner of the match. So it was a tough night of tennis out there,” Davenport concluded, summing up the collapse.
Now, as the US Open looms, another former American great has sounded the alarm. While Davenport dissected the technical breakdown, this new voice stressed the need for Gauff to assess her game holistically, sharpen her weapons, and restore confidence. For Coco, the message is clear: to thrive in New York, she must turn lessons into fire.
Chanda Rubin voices concerns over Coco Gauff’s pre-US Open
Coco Gauff’s serving demons roared under the Mason lights on Friday night, where she unleashed 16 double faults and collapsed in a storm of inconsistency. Across two hours and three minutes, the match spiraled with 14 service breaks and 62 unforced errors. For the reigning French Open champion, who conquered Aryna Sabalenka in a scintillating final earlier this summer, the loss marked another crushing blow. Still reeling from a R16 defeat to Victoria Mboko in Canada, Gauff saw her last Masters semifinal chance slip away just before the US Open horizon.
With tension mounting and her hard-court swing dripping in doubt, former top-10 ace Chanda Rubin stepped forward, voicing her unease about the American star. On the Tennis Channel show, she said, “I think for me, I’m looking a little bit more at Coco and just to kind of take the other side. Coco Gauff, you know, I think she won Roland Garros. She made a tough transition onto the grass. She figured, you know, tight turnaround. She had a lot of things going on. Didn’t quite get it going there.”
Rubin’s concern went deeper than statistics. “How is she feeling? Is she feeling confident? Does she feel like she can work through some tough matches in New York? Does she have enough matches behind her on the hard courts to feel that? So that would be my concern,” she emphasized, putting a spotlight on the mental side of Gauff’s challenge.
It was not a dismissal of her talent, but rather a reminder of the razor-thin line between dominance and doubt.
Now, as Flushing Meadows looms, one question lingers above the rest: can Coco tame her second-serve demons and rise stronger under the lights of New York?
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