Coco Gauff defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-4, 6-4, to book her place in the third round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The win was her first since the fourth round of the Australian Open, 23 days ago (vs Karolina Muchova).
After she took down Karolina Muchova in Melbourne, Gauff was well beaten by Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, and then lost to Elisabetta Cocciaretta in her Doha opener.
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You’d love to say she bounced back in style against Kalinskaya, but that wasn’t really the case.
Gauff’s serve continued to cause her problems, making 12 double faults in a less-than-convincing win over the world number 23.
Even though she won the match, Gauff will know she has a big decision to make about her head coach’s future…
Coco Gauff needs to decide if Gavin MacMillan is the right coach for her
Gauff hired MacMillan to fix her serve last August.
Five months on, it’s fair to say her serve is anything but fixed.
Her numbers have been disappointing, to say the least, but more importantly, her serve is failing the ‘eye test’.
Coco Gauff’s serving stats in 2026
| Match | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve |
| United Cup RR vs Solana Sierra [WIN] | 0 | 4 | 57% | 67% | 67% |
| United Cup RR vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro [LOSS] | 1 | 14 | 60% | 59% | 19% |
| United Cup QF vs Maria Sakkari [WIN] | 1 | 6 | 68% | 76% | 50% |
| United Cup SF vs Iga Swiatek [WIN] | 3 | 4 | 75% | 73% | 27% |
| Australian Open 1R vs Kamilla Rakhimova [WIN] | 1 | 7 | 63% | 73% | 47% |
| Australian Open 2R vs Olga Danilovic [WIN] | 1 | 4 | 67% | 84% | 45% |
| Australian Open 3R vs Hailey Baptiste [WIN] | 0 | 6 | 66% | 83% | 67% |
| Australian Open 4R vs Karolina Muchova [WIN] | 2 | 3 | 69% | 65% | 77% |
| Australian Open QF vs Elina Svitolina [LOSS] | 0 | 5 | 74% | 41% | 33% |
| Qatar Open 2R vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto [LOSS] | 2 | 3 | 76% | 67% | 56% |
| Dubai Tennis Championships 2R vs Anna Kalinskaya [LOSS] | 4 | 12 | 77% | 64% | 80% |
When the pressure is at its highest, that’s when Gauff’s serve crumbles.
At 0-15 or 0-30 on her serve, you’re just waiting for Gauff to throw in a costly double fault.
And they aren’t ‘good’ double faults either.
On several occasions vs Kalinskaya, the American missed by a significant margin.
Considering she hired MacMillan, primarily for his expertise in biomechanics, questions must be asked about what they are working on, and whether it is actually working!
If Gauff produces another sub-par serving display between now and the end of the tournament in Dubai, perhaps she should consider another coaching change.
Prove us wrong…
Not just to fix her serve, but to work on other aspects of her game.
While her all-court game remains one of the best on the WTA Tour, if she doesn’t keep adding skills to her arsenal, the chasing pack will be on her tail before she knows it.
Has Gavin MacMillan helped improve Coco Gauff’s serve at all?
While Gauff’s serve is far from perfect, it would be unfair to blame MacMillan for her struggles.
After all, her numbers were a lot worse before he joined.
During the 2025 Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open (the final two tournaments before Gauff hired MacMillan), she recorded 10 or more double faults in three matches.
Coco Gauff’s poor serve performances in Canada and Cincinnati
- 23 double faults vs Danielle Collins (2025 Canadian Open 2R)
- 14 double faults vs Veronika Kudermetova (2025 Canadian Open 3R)
- 16 double faults vs Jasmine Paolini (2025 Cincinnati Open QF)
For the most part, those disastrous displays are a thing of the past, but that’s not to say the job is done.
Gauff’s serve is a problem, and if MacMillan can’t fix it, maybe someone else needs to try.
Who will Coco Gauff play next in Dubai?
The 21-year-old will return to take on Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the third round.
Mertens has been on a tear in Dubai so far, dropping just eight games across her first two matches.
Elise Mertens at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships
- 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships 1R [WIN] vs Marie Bouzkova, 6-2, 6-2
- 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships 2R [WIN] vs Emma Navarro, 6-2, 6-2
If Gauff is to advance to the fourth round, she’ll need to step things up against an in-form opponent.
Gauff will play Mertens in the third round of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday, February 18.
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