Coco Gauff lost to Elina Svitolina for the second time in less than a month. After a straight-set Australian Open quarterfinal thrashing, the Ukrainian defeated the American 6-4, 6-7(13), 6-4 in the WTA 1000 Dubai Open semifinals on Friday.
During the match, Gauff was seen banging her racket on her head in frustration and even calling out her team in the player’s box. Her anger stemmed from her repeated double faults – as many as 12 in the match that lasted three hours and three minutes.
In the 2025 season, the World No. 4 finished with the most double faults on the WTA Tour, 431 in 65 matches. To address the issue, she hired biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, who helped World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka rectify her serve.
However, Gauff’s struggles continue. After one of her double faults during the second set against Svitolina, she snapped, presumably at MacMillan, saying:
“I’ve been doing everything you’ve wanted for the last 6 months.”
After another double fault, the 21-year-old could be seen hitting herself on the head with her racket.
While third-seeded Coco Gauff lost the first set, she took the second set after winning a thrilling 28-point tie-breaker. Seventh-seeded Svitolina eventually won and improved her head-to-head record against Gauff to 3-2.
Coco Gauff is “Glad” to Reach the 2026 Dubai Open SF
Coco Gauff has yet to win a title this year. After suffering a quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open, the two-time Grand Slam winner lost to Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the opening round of the WTA 1000 Qatar Open.
According to Gauff, she arrived in Dubai to win at least one match. At a press conference after her semifinal loss to Elina Svitolina on Friday, she said (via WTA Tennis):
“It’s tough to be on the losing end of a match like this, but there’s a lot of positives to take from it. Elina played great, I thought I played great, and it came down to the wire. I’ll definitely learn from this match in the future.”
“I started off the week just trying to win one match here, and so I’m glad to have made it to the semis, and I was really close to making it to the final. Entering a tournament not in my best form and still making the semis means a lot, so hopefully I can take this momentum into Indian Wells and Miami,” the American added.
Gauff is next expected to play at the WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open, beginning March 4.
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