Coco Gauff is back in action following a disappointing grass court season.
The 21-year-old failed to win a match on the surface after suffering opening round defeats at the Berlin Open and Dayana Yastremska beat Gauff 7-6, 6-1 at Wimbledon.
Now Gauff’s attention has turned to the North American hard court swing, an area of the season the world number two loves.
Gauff defeated Danielle Collins in Montreal to earn a spot in the next round and The Tennis Gazette believes this is the start of a successful period of the season for the American.
Three reasons why Coco Gauff is set for a successful North American hard court swing
Coco Gauff is well rested
Following an underwhelming grass court campaign, Coco Gauff has played just three matches since winning the French Open on June 7.
She perhaps needed the rest after a gruelling clay season in which she reached three successive finals.
Now Gauff is back in North America, refreshed and recharged both physically and mentally, which could give her a boost over some of her rivals.
Gauff outlasted Collins in three sets to advance and perhaps that match will help Gauff to shake off any rust from her lack of matchplay.
The top seed in Montreal will next play Veronika Kudermetova, who Gauff has beaten in two of their previous three meetings.
Coco Gauff has few ranking points to lose from 2024
Gauff can play with a sense of freedom knowing that she has few ranking points to defend during the 2024 North American swing.
Gauff, the reigning French Open champion, claimed just one match win in Canada a year ago, and lost her opening match at the Cincinnati Masters to Yulia Putiintseva.
Furthermore, Gauff lost to Emma Navarro at the US Open in the last 16, therefore ending her title defence early.
With Gauff failing to progress in round two in two of those three events a year ago, this is an opportunity for the Gauff to make some ground on Aryna Sabalenka, who is not playing in Canada, at the top of the WTA Tour rankings.
Furthermore, this period is a golden chance for Gauff to add more titles to her list of achievements, especially with the home crowds in Ohio and New York cheering her on.
Coco Gauff knows how to win during the North American hard court swing
While it is never easy to win tournaments a second time, Gauff has the advantage of knowing what it takes to succeed on the hard courts in the North American summer.
In 2023 Gauff experienced the most successful period of her career. She claimed the Citi Open title in Washington D.C., before lifting the Cincinnati and US Open titles back-to-back.
While she did not play in America’s capital city in 2025, Gauff can achieve success in Canada for the first time, as well as go for glory in Ohio and Flushing Meadows once again.
She knows the courts and conditions in this part of the world better than most, and knowing she has won these tournaments in the past will bode well for Gauff over the next few weeks.
2025 has been an inconsistent year for Gauff, but after a poor Middle Eastern swing, she responded with excellence on the clay, and there is no more fitting place for her to attain further success than in her most familiar surroundings.
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