A seismic shift has happened in American tennis which became clear in Coco Gauff’s latest match

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Coco Gauff was far from her best during her semifinal match in Beijing…

The defending champion advanced to the last four following wins over Kamilla Rakhimova, Leylah Fernandez, Belinda Bencic, and Eva Lys.

She failed in her bid to reach the final, however, as Amanda Anisimova dominated Gauff 6-1, 6-2 in the China Open semis.

Gauff’s form has taken a turn for the worse over the last few months, ever since she won the French Open in June.

With her serve continuing to cause her problems, it may be worth considering whether she still is the best woman in American tennis…

Amanda Anisimova may now be the best American tennis player

Beginning the year ranked 36th in the world, few would have predicted Anisimova to enjoy as much success in 2025 as she has.

The 24-year-old qualified for her first two Grand Slam finals and won her maiden WTA 1000 title at the Qatar Open.

As a result, Anisimova is now the world number four and looks set to challenge Gauff for the number three ranking before the end of the year.

In the Live WTA Race, Anisimova trails her countrywoman by just 17 points, as she continues to chase down the American number one ranking.

If and when Anisimova does overtake Gauff in the rankings, she will become American number one for the first time, and deservedly so.

Anisimova has reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals, and despite losing both, has proven herself as one of the most dangerous players in the women’s game.

• 2025 Wimbledon F – Amanda Anisimova lost to Iga Swiatek 0-6, 0-6
• 2025 US Open F – Amanda Anisimova lost to Aryna Sabalenka, 3-6, 6-7

Gauff, in contrast, failed to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon (lost in round one) and the US Open (lost in round four).

With the two players enjoying very different ends to their 2025 campaigns, it seems like Anisimova is more likely to challenge for Grand Slams in the future than Gauff.

Her sub-one-hour demolition of Gauff in Beijing only added further evidence to this point, as the gulf in quality was clear to see.

Things aren’t looking good for the two-time major winner right now, but what can she do to reclaim her crown as the best in American tennis?

Coco Gauff must fix her serve and forehand

Gauff’s serving struggles have been well documented in 2025, as the American star has hit more double faults than anyone else this year on the WTA Tour.

Unfortunately for Gauff, it’s not just the serve that has been the issue, as her forehand is failing her, too.

Against Anisimova, she made several unforced errors off the forehand wing, as she won just three games against the world number four.

Ahead of the China Open, former Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva gave her verdict on the issues with Gauff’s forehand.

“I’m surprised that she chose a serving specialist, because in my point of view, it would be a good idea for her to somehow reconsider her forehand,” she said.

“She is, of course, very well physically developed, but there is a one-handed game going on there. Right now, she’s just saving herself with her good physical shape, but there are some significant areas that can be corrected.”

Gauff will want to ‘correct’ both her serve and forehand before too long, if she wants to rediscover the form that saw her win two Grand Slam titles.

The 21-year-old will have a chance to bounce back fast when she returns to action at the Wuhan Open next week.

Receiving a bye into round two, Gauff will play either Wang Xinyu or a qualifier.