Coco Gauff was able to bounce straight back from earlier disappointment to beat Maria Sakkari.
Gauff suffered a shock defeat to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in her second singles match of the 2026 season.
Not only was the loss a big disappointment for the two-time major winner, but it came on the same day that Gauff lost her status as the American number one.
Gauff also faced backlash from American tennis fans following some comments she made, but she has now let her racket do the talking.
Coco Gauff reveals how she bounced back from her disappointing defeat
In her first singles match since suffering that defeat to Bouzas Maneiro, Gauff was able to produce an emphatic victory over former world number three Maria Sakkari, beating the Greek 6-2 6-3.
When speaking to press after her win, Gauff was asked how she was able to bounce back so impressively.
In her response, Gauff called her defeat to Bouzas Maneiro one of the worst matches of her career, as she explained how she tried to be more positive against Sakkari.
“Yeah, I think for me it felt like one of my worst matches of my career,” said Gauff. “So I was like, okay, I felt like I was practicing well, and I’m playing practice sets well, and my first match went well. So I tried to erase it and learn from it.
“I don’t think I was the most positive that match, so I just tried to stay positive regardless of what happened today.”
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After making her debut in the competition last year, Gauff helped the USA win the United Cup without losing a single match.
When asked about the experience of coming into the tournament as defending champions this year, Gauff explained how it has been different as she has already lost one match.
“Yeah, it’s a different experience I think from last year, because last year I didn’t lose any matches,” answered Gauff. “So coming in and losing my second match was definitely a change in mindset.
“But I think I learned just the pressure, it feels definitely sometimes a bit more when you are playing for a team, but also a little bit less because I feel really confident in Taylor [Fritz]. Obviously I want to win my match, but I feel like if I were to lose, he would be able to pick me up. I think he feels the same, vice versa.”
Coco Gauff explains how doubles has helped improve her singles at the United Cup
As well as playing in singles, Gauff has also been playing doubles with Christian Harrison, with the pairing faultless so far.
Gauff even revealed that she thinks playing doubles matches at the United Cup has enabled her to have more confidence going into her next singles matches.
“Oh, for sure, yeah. I definitely served a lot better in my mixed doubles that day, so I felt like I was able to take that confidence into today,” added Gauff. “I returned well in my mixed.
“I wish I hit some of those bigger returns on break points in the match today, but I still was able to break a lot, so not going to be too critical.”
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Despite Gauff getting the USA off to the perfect start, they were forced into a deciding mixed doubles rubber after Taylor Fritz lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
However, the pairing of Gauff and Harrison combined again to send the USA into the United Cup semifinals once again.
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