Nineteen-year-old Coco Gauff won the DC Open title on Sunday, defeating Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3. It was her first WTA 500 singles title and fourth singles title overall. It was also the first win with her new team, consisting of coaches Brad Gilbert and Pere Riba. The obvious weaknesses in her game that caused her to lose in the first round at Wimbledon last month looked better. Is she poised to win her first major at the US Open?
“I would say,” said Gauff, who is ranked No. 7 and was seeded No. 3, “I’m heading in the right direction.”
Her Game Is Already Improving
Gauff, already ranked in the top 10 in singles and second in doubles with her partner Jessica Pegula, has long been seen as the next big American tennis star. But the Wimbledon loss and her faltering serve and forehand had many questioning where she was headed and what was going on with her coaching situation.
To be fair, Gauff and her former coach Diego Moyano split earlier this year, as the Argentinian national had personal matters he needed to attend to and couldn’t devote the time that a top touring pro like Gauff needs.
While she was seeking a permanent coaching relationship she worked with Patrick Mouratoglou — Serena Williams’ former coach — and her dad Corey Gauff. But to break through and win Grand Slams she needed a permanent situation.
Tennis pros cycle through coaches with alarming regularity, so Coco had to make sure whomever she worked with next was someone she could be with long term and someone who could help fix the areas of her game that were deficient and have a plan on how to turn her into a champion.
Gilbert coached Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray previously, and Riba has been a longstanding coach on the WTA circuit. Both were professional players.
“She’s already near the top, but there is a lot of room to get better,” said Riba. “I’m happy, of course, that she won the tournament. I’m more happy about the way she did it. Her energy and attitude are more important for the long term.”
Getting Ready For The US Open
Gauff’s opponent in the final, Sakkari, also noticed the improvement in Gauff’s game in just a few weeks.
“We all know that her forehand was always her weaker shot. I feel like now she’s improving that. She’s making more balls. She’s working on that,” said Sakkari, a 28-year-old from Greece who reached two Grand Slam semifinals in 2021. “Mentally, she looks a lot more mature. She knows what she’s doing on the court.”
If these are the results Gauff is showing after just a few weeks, imagine what they will look like at the end of the month?
You don’t become top 10 in the world without talent and the ability to master new skills relatively quickly. It’s no surprise that Gauff is already looking better.
She will play in Toronto this week at the National Bank Open and in Cincinnati the following week at the Western & Southern Open. These are the two big summer hard court tournaments and US Open warmups. They are both WTA 1000 events.
If she advances to the semifinals or the finals at either or both, look out. Confidence and results are all the top player need. The DC win and continued improvement and good results in Toronto and Cincinnati will send her to New York City with a ton of confidence and could propel her into her second Grand Slam final.
