Coco Gauff’s US Open dreams were crushed in the last 16 by a former two-time champion.
The American star didn’t get off to the brightest of starts in New York, as Gauff scraped past Ajla Tomljanovic in round one, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5.
After going down an early break in the second round, Gauff recovered to beat Donna Vekic in straight sets, before making light work of Magdalena Frech to book her place in the fourth round.
Standing between the world number three and a spot in the quarterfinals was the resurgent Naomi Osaka, a champion at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and 2020.
Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, Gauff lost to Osaka, 3-6, 2-6, failing to reach the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
Reacting to Gauff’s comprehensive defeat, former ATP star Steve Johnson explained what went wrong for his fellow American.
Steve Johnson says Coco Gauff’s serving struggles bled into every aspect of her game
During the latest episode of ‘Something Major’, Johnson offered up his thoughts on Gauff’s fourth-round exit at the US Open.
“When you don’t serve well like Coco [Gauff], it starts to bleed into every aspect of your game,” he said.
“You put so much pressure on your forehand and backhand and your movement.
“There are only so many people she can physically outcompete without playing good tennis, and she came up against [Naomi] Osaka, and that was all she wrote.”
The two-time major champion’s serve has been a topic of discussion recently, as Gauff replaced Matt Daly with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan ahead of the US Open, in a bid to fix her double-faulting issues.
Making steady improvements, Gauff took a step forward in New York, but it wasn’t quite enough.
| Match/Tournament | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve |
| 2025 Canadian Open/Cincinnati Open (Average – before Gavin MacMillan) | 4 | 12 | 60% | 67% | 52% |
| 2025 US Open 1R v Ajla Tomljanovic (with Gavin MacMillan) | 4 | 10 | 60% | 66% | 60% |
| 2025 US Open 2R v Donna Vekic (with Gavin MacMillan) | 2 | 8 | 69% | 64% | 45% |
| 2025 US Open 3R v Magdalena Frech (with Gavin MacMillan) | 1 | 4 | 76% | 71% | 71% |
| 2025 US Open 4R v Naomi Osaka (with Gavin MacMillan | 3 | 5 | 66% | 52% | 83% |
| 2025 US Open (Average – with Gavin MacMillan) | 3 | 7 | 68% | 63% | 65% |
Johnson did, however, suggest that he expects Gauff to turn things around before too long.
“She is going to figure it out, though,” he said.
“She won a Slam this year, she is still three in the world, a lot of time left for her.”
Johnson’s co-host Sam Querrey was also keen to comment on Gauff’s defeat, as he admitted he wasn’t surprised by the result.
“I am honestly not surprised with the score,” he said.
“If we are on ESPN and stuff, it’s tough for me to say I think Osaka is going to roll through Coco, but part of me thought that because Osaka is playing well right now.”
Querrey believes Osaka is one of a select group of players who Gauff cannot ‘outcompete’ on the WTA Tour.
“Coco can probably out-grit and compete everyone besides [Aryna] Sabalenka, [Iga] Swiatek, [Naomi] Osaka, and maybe a couple of others,” he said.
Querrey named Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Osaka as the three players Gauff cannot currently ‘out-grit’, but how has she fared against them throughout her career?
Coco Gauff’s head-to-head record against Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Naomi Osaka
Gauff has played 32 total matches against Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Osaka, winning 13.
Coco Gauff 6-5 Aryna Sabalenka
- 2020 Lexington R16 – Coco Gauff d. Aryna Sabalenka
- 2020 Ostrava R16 – Aryna Sabalenka d. Coco Gauff
- 2021 Rome R16 – Coco Gauff d. Aryna Sabalenka
- 2022 Toronto R16 – Coco Gauff d. Aryna Sabalenka
- 2023 Indian Wells QF – Aryna Sabalenka d. Coco Gauff
- 2023 US Open F – Coco Gauff d. Aryna Sabalenka
- 2024 Australian Open SF – Aryna Sabalenka d. Coco Gauff
- 2024 Wuhan SF – Aryna Sabalenka d. Coco Gauff
- 2024 WTA Finals SF – Coco Gauff d. Aryna Sabalenka
- 2025 Madrid F – Aryna Sabalenka d. Coco Gauff
- 2025 French Open F – Coco Gauff d. Aryna Sabalenka
Coco Gauff 4-11 Iga Swiatek
- 2021 Rome SF – Iga Swiatek d. Coco Gauff
- 2021 Miami Open R16 – Iga Swiatek d. Coco Gauff
- 2022 French Open F – Iga Swiatek d. Coco Gauff
- 2022 San Diego QF – Iga Swiatek d. Coco Gauff
- 2022 WTA Finals RR – Iga Swiatek d. Coco Gauff
- 2023 Dubai SF – Iga Swiatek d. Coco Gauff
- 2023 French Open QF – Iga Swiatek d. Coco Gauff
- 2023 Cincinnati SF – Coco Gauff d. Iga Swiatek
- 2023 Beijing SF – Iga Swiatek d. Coco Gauff
- 2023 WTA Finals RR – Iga Swiatek d. Coco Gauff
- 2024 Rome SF – Iga Swiatek d. Coco Gauff
- 2024 WTA Finals RR – Coco Gauff d. Iga Swiatek
- 2025 United Cup – Coco Gauff d. Iga Swiatek
- 2025 Madrid SF – Coco Gauff d. Iga Swiatek
Coco Gauff 3-3 Naomi Osaka
- 2019 US Open R32 – Naomi Osaka d. Coco Gauff
- 2020 Australian Open R32 – Coco Gauff d. Naomi Osaka
- 2021 Cincinnati R32 – Naomi Osaka d. Coco Gauff
- 2022 San Jose R16 – Coco Gauff d. Naomi Osaka
- 2024 Beijing R16 – Coco Gauff d. Naomi Osaka
- 2025 US Open R16 – Naomi Osaka d. Coco Gauff
The young American leads the head-to-head with Sabalenka, but trails against Swiatek and is now level with Osaka.
Only time will tell how their rivalries will develop, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Gauff is scheduled to return to the WTA Tour in Beijing for the China Open, which begins on Monday, September 22.
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