Coco Gauff earned her first win of the clay season with a strong performance against Liudmila Samsonova at the Stuttgart Open.
The American beat Samsonova 7-5, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 event, as she sharpens her clay-court game ahead of her Roland Garros title defence in May.
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Gauff clinched her second major trophy at last year’s edition of the French Open, capping off a remarkable clay swing.
She made the final at both the Madrid Open and the Italian Open before beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the championship match in Paris.
Statistically, clay is Gauff‘s best surface, with a career win-rate of 75%, and the 22-year-old has started well on the dirt in 2026.
Coco Gauff reacts to her win at the Stuttgart Open
Reacting to her win over Samsonova in her on-court interview, Gauff said: “Yeah, I mean, I started off a little bit rough, had some break point opportunities in the first game, but yeah, happy to get through today.
“I never really have easy first-round matches here in Stuttgart, so I guess the trend continued a little bit today, but yeah, I’m happy to be in the next round.”
Asked who she models her game around on clay, Gauff said: “I mean, the greatest clay court player is Rafa, but I don’t quite play like him, but I do try to hit my forehand like he does on clay.
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“I don’t run around as much because my forehand isn’t as good as Rafa, but I try to hit like him, so I guess him, and then, I don’t know, it’s just me and him.
“I don’t know. Like a Walmart version of Rafa. I don’t want to be like obliterated online, like a lesser version of Rafa, okay?”
Coco Gauff looks ahead to her next opponent in Stuttgart
Next, Gauff will take on Karolina Muchova, against whom she leads 6-0 in the WTA head-to-head.
Despite the lopsided scoreline in the rivalry, Gauff does not think she has any advantage heading into the clash with the Czech star.
“I mean, it’s pro sports. Anybody can win on any day. I mean, obviously, you take what you did well in the last matches and try to do it again, but like I said, anything can happen.
“She’s a great player. She’s a great clay court player too, so yeah, I don’t take any of those matches into account. I just try to focus on what the goals I have for tomorrow, and hopefully I can come out with a win.”
Gauff is bidding to secure her first title of the season in Stuttgart and 12th overall.
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