shed plenty of tears and had her mental fortitude tested, she looked up to the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium and found some much-needed inspiration in the seats.
Simone Biles, with her 11 Olympic medals and indomitable spirit, indirectly helped the American World No. 3 power through on a night when her serve was undependable yet again.
“I saw her and, honestly, I don’t know if she’s still up there, but she helped me pull it out,” Gauff said during her on-court interview after defeating unseeded Donna Vekic
7-6 (5), 6-2 in the second round of the US Open. “I was just thinking, if she can go on a six-inch beam and do that with all the pressures of the world, then I can hit the ball in this 75 … I don’t know how big this court is.
“But I saw her late in the second getting interviewed by ESPN, and it brought me a little bit of calm just knowing her story, with all the things she went through mentally. She’s an inspiration, surely, and her presence definitely did help me today.”
Biles did, indeed, stay until the match ended — we wouldn’t expect anything less from the legendary gymnast — and blew kisses to to the French Open champion after the callout. She also shouted “I love you!” The moment predictably prompted a rousing applause in Ashe.
It was a tale of two sets for Gauff, who committed seven double faults and was broken four times in the first set. She appeared emotionally drained, but hung tough to force a deciding tiebreak, which she narrowly won.
She served more solidly and consistently in the second set, and wasn’t broken once, to secure the straight sets win and advance to the third round.
After the match, the 21-year-old American reflected on why Biles means so much to her. More than just her otherworldly athletic ability, it’s the seven-time gold medalist’s mental toughness and resilience that Gauff finds so admirable.
“She’s the greatest, one of the greatest athletes,” the third seed told reporters. “It’s her and Serena for me on my Mount Rushmore of athletes. I think everything that she went through on the mental side of things in the sport, it’s something I follow closely and try to learn from.
“To see her there tonight kind of gave me a reminder that I needed. I was lucky to — actually [I] just came from talking to her, so I was able to tell her that in person.”
Gauff will play 29th-seeded Magdalena Frech
on Saturday for a spot in the fourth round. The American has won both of their matches, though they haven’t played since May of 2024.
Gymnast Simone Biles provided some inspiration to Coco Gauff during a tough second-round match at the US Open, and after Gauff won, she was thrilled to get the chance to chat with the Olympic star.
Biles was in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands for Gauff’s 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Donna Vekic on Thursday night.
During her on-court interview, Gauff thanked Biles for being there and providing a boost – then delivered the message face-to-face.
Gauff, a 21-year-old from Florida who has two Grand Slam titles, said the thought of Biles doing her job on a balance beam gave her confidence to know she could perform on a tennis court.
“She helped me pull it out,” said Gauff, who wiped away tears several times during and following the match. “It brought me a little bit of calm just knowing her story with all the things she went through mentally.”
Gauff said Biles is on her Mount Rushmore of athletes, along with Serena Williams.
During an interview on ESPN’s telecast of the match, Biles said Gauff was the reason she returned to Flushing Meadows.
“She’s incredible, amazing and it’s like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Biles said. “It’s just such a privilege to watch her on home soil and watch ‘Black girl magic.’”
Biles won four gold medals and one silver at the 2024 Paris Games, three years after pulling out of some events at the Tokyo Olympics because of a mental block – known in the gymnastics world as “the twisties” – that made her afraid to attempt certain dangerous moves.
Gauff said she’s a fan of Biles for “everything she went through on the mental side of things of the sport, something that I followed closely and tried to learn from”.
“To see her there tonight kind of gave me a reminder that I needed,” Gauff said.
Biles praised Gauff for her grace and humility and empathised with the decision to hire biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan to help with her serve.
“As she gets older and matures, and now (that) she’s an adult, she gets to make these type of decisions that’s best for her career, so I’m supportive 100 percent, because I know what that’s like,” Biles said. “To see her take ownership of her career, of the court and all of that is just amazing to watch.”
Former world No 6 Chanda Rubin had one “concern” about Coco Gauff as she assessed her countrywoman’s prospects at the 2025 US Open.
Gauff fell to a 6-2, 4-6, 3-6 defeat to world No 8 Jasmine Paolini in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open.
Against the Italian, Gauff landed only 54% of her first serves and won just 31% of her second serve points as she hit 16 double faults.
The 21-year-old American overcame Wang Xinyu and Lucia Bronzetti en route to the last eight in Cincinnati, while she also received a walkover from Dayana Yastremska in the third round.
Gauff has dropped from second to third in the WTA Rankings after Iga Swiatek saw off Paolini in the final at the WTA 1000 event.
The two-time Grand Slam champion was stunned 6-1, 6-4 by eventual winner Victoria Mboko in the last 16 in Montreal having struggled with her second serve throughout the event.
Speaking on Tennis Channel, Rubin weighed in on Gauff’s preparation for her home Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows.
“Coco Gauff, she won Roland Garros, she made a tough transition onto the grass, she figured kind of, tough turnaround, she had a lot of things going on, she didn’t quite get it going there,” said the seven-time WTA Tour singles titlist.
“Now to start the hard court swing, she’s won a few matches, she’s won some matches here [in Cincinnati], didn’t have to play a couple of matches. But I just thought she might be in a bit of a better place.
“We saw it with the double faults, she handles it so beautifully, but we saw her start to get a little bit frayed, get a little irritated, kind of direct it to her team there, so that, for me, would be the only concern.
“How is she feeling? Does she feel confident she can work through some tough matches in New York? Does she have enough matches behind her on the hard courts?
“So, that would be my concern, but certainly she has that ability, she has the athleticism to turn it on and in New York she gets such incredible energy, I think that’s going to go a long way for her.
“But certainly, the game was a little frustrating for her, certainly against Paolini.”
Gauff will seek her second US Open crown having won her maiden major in New York in 2023.
Coco Gauff’s coach calls out Iga Swiatek special treatment from tennis chiefs, gets support from another WTA star
The heat of competition at the Cincinnati Open is hotting up, both on and off the court, as Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert demonstrated this week when he called out Iga Swiatek’s perceived special treatment.
Gilbert stirred controversy by questioning the scheduling of the tournament appears to favor world No. 3 Iga Swiatek, leading to a wave of fan pushback in defense of the Polish player.
Gilbert took to social media after Swiatek was scheduled to play first on Center Court at 11:00 ET, tweeting: “You don’t even have to look at schedule and know Iga pops on first at 11 am. Wonder if her team ask for that or just happens that way a lot.”
Despite the seemingly innocuous nature of the remark, it raised eyebrows and red flags alike-prompting fans to interpret it as an insinuation that Swiatek receives special treatment from tournament organizers.
WTA star agrees with scheduling bias claim
Players across the tour have increasingly voiced frustration over grueling match schedules and tight turnarounds-like Anna Kalinskaya, who confronted the issue head-on after she had to face Swiatek at 11:00 ET. following a grueling match that ended in the early hours.
“How can the WTA and tournament expect athletes to perform their best when the scheduling is this unfair?” Kalinskaya questioned. “After my match… I didn’t get enough sleep… then scheduled at 11 a.m.? Seems a bit one sided.”
But Gilbert’s tweet broke from the emotional plea and steered into territory that fans found unnecessary. Many dismissed his insinuation, accusing him of trying to ruffle feathers rather than shedding light on a legitimate bias.
One fan added: “Sleep is key for peak performance… scheduling matches so quickly after a late finish isn’t fair,” aligning with concern for athlete welfare, but not swinging toward favoritism.
Not the first time Gilbert gets involved
Gilbert has never been one to shy away from pointed commentary-his criticism of Swiatek’s dominant Wimbledon final or remarks about opponents’ habits have previously triggered backlash. The fact Gauff did not contribute to the debate says a lot.
But this episode highlights a unique tension: fans will support athlete wellness arguments-but drawing lines toward conspiratorial favoritism still crosses the line.
As the tournament progresses, all eyes remain on how scheduling fairness and transparency become part of tennis’ broader conversation.
Gilbert’s tweet may have overshadowed a deeper concern about recovery in the modern tour, but the overwhelming backlash shows that most fans aren’t buying into the idea that authority is leaning heavily one way.
In the end, the debate reveals more about fan loyalty than scheduling logic-and underscores how thin the line remains between real critique and perceived disrespect.
How to watch Coco Gauff vs. Veronika Kudermetova today: National Bank Open free stream
World No. 2 Coco Gauff won on a third set tiebreak in the second round of the National Bank Open Tuesday. Gauff will face Veronika Kudermetova in the third round Thursday at 2 p.m. ET.
Gauff vs. Kudermetova will air on Tennis Channel, you can stream it on DirecTV (free trial).
Here’s what you need to know:
What: National Bank Open, third round
Who: No. 1 Coco Gauff vs. Veronika Kudermetova
When: Thursday, July 31, 2025
Where: Centre Court, IGA Stadium, Montreal, Canada
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: Tennis Channel
Live stream: DirecTV (free trial), fuboTV, Sling, Hulu + Live TV
Streaming service
Free trial?
Promo
Price
DirecTV
Yes
$30 off first month
$84.99
fuboTV
No
$20 off first month
$84.99
Hulu + Live TV
Yes
No
$82.99
Sling
No
Half off first mont
$45.99
Here’s a recent tennis story via The Associated Press:
TORONTO (AP) — Top-seeded Alexander Zverev beat Adam Walton 7-6 (6), 6-4 at the National Bank Open on Tuesday night in his first match since Wimbledon.
Zverev is trying to get back on track after reaching the Australian Open final in a strong start to the season. He was upset by Arthur Rinderknech in the first round at Wimbledon, saying afterward he was struggling mentally.
“!’m trying to find ways to kind of get out of this hole. I keep kind of finding myself back in it in a way,” Zverev said.
The German is ranked third but seeded No. 1 in this tournament that he won in 2017 after the withdrawals of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev won a 52-shot rally in the tiebreaker to earn a set point.
“It was a very important moment and a very important point for me,” Zverev said. “I was lucky to get through in the first set and then finish it off in two.”
Third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti beat Australian qualifier James Duckworth 7-5, 6-1, while No. 5 Holger Rune was a 7-6 (7), 6-3 winner over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on a hot, sunny afternoon.
All seeded players had a first-round bye in the Masters 1000 tournament that also saw No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 6 Novak Djokovic withdraw.
No. 8 seed Casper Ruud, No. 10 Daniil Medvedev, No. 11 Karen Khachanov, No. 14 Francisco Cerundolo and No. 18 Alexei Popyrin, the defending champion, were among the other winners. Reilly Opelka upset 16th-seeded Tomas Machac in three sets.
Coco Gauff faces Veronika Kudermetova on Thursday at the 2025 Canadian Open, hoping for a cleaner third-round performance.
Coco Gauff returns to Centre Court on Thursday afternoon for a third-round Canadian Open showdown against big-serving Russian Veronika Kudermetova.
Gauff comes into today’s match having survived a three-set battle with fellow American Danielle Collins. The 21-year-old looked to be in command in the third set, only to see Collins move up a gear to give the 2025 French Open champion a run for her money.
Gauff’s 23 double faults did much to fuel Collins’ ferocious comeback. And she’ll have to limit those this afternoon against Kudermetova.
Gauff hopes the nearly three-hour match with Collins is behind her, stating on Tuesday, “I felt like I was practicing well, and then I don’t think I transferred it today. But hopefully I got my bad match of the tournament out of the way, and I could come back stronger the next round.”
Gauff-Kudermetova Head-to-Head
Gauff and Kudermetova have played three times prior to today, with the American holding a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head. All three previous meetings were in 2023, with Gauff having won the last two matches, on clay in Stuttgart and on hard court in Beijing.
What to Watch
Expect Gauff to rely on her defense, court coverage, and depth to manage Kudermetova’s aggressive returns and baseline hitting.
Kudermetova will look to pressure early with her serve and net approaches and try to force errors.
Prediction
Gauff in straight sets. Despite her shaky serve, Gauff’s athleticism and mental toughness give her the upper hand. She should find a way to close this in straight sets, albeit in a tight third-round matchup.
How to Watch Coco Gauff vs. Veronika Kudermetova
The Coco Gauff–Veronika Kudermetova match is scheduled for 2:00 PM Eastern on Centre Court at IGA Stadium in Montreal, after the Kostyuk-Kasatkina match.
The match may air live on the Tennis Channel as part of its center court coverage. A dedicated stream for the Gauff-Kudermetova match is also available on the Tennis Channel website here.
The Tennis Channel app and website offer a simulcast of the TV channel, a “T2” overflow stream for secondary matches, and court-specific feeds. Some WTA matches are also airing for free on Amazon Prime.
A standalone Tennis Channel streaming subscription is available for $9.99/month or $109.99/year.
Just three weeks ago, Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz were crowned French Open champions — and both are among the favorites again as Wimbledon begins Monday.
Alcaraz is the two-time defending champion at the All England Club — could he become the fifth man in the Open era to achieve a three-peat at Wimbledon? Or will Jannik Sinner avenge his French Open final loss to Alcaraz to win his first Grand Slam title on grass?
Gauff, meanwhile, has now won two major titles but has never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon. And the women’s field is wide open — the past eight Wimbledon titles have been won by different women.
Could Aryna Sabalenka win her first Wimbledon title? Or will Iga Swiatek bounce back from a difficult year to claim the crown?
And what about Novak Djokovic? Could he somehow win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title?
Our experts weigh in on these pressing questions and more.
How will Gauff follow up her French Open title?
D’Arcy Maine: Gauff arrives at Wimbledon — where she has been as beloved as just about any player since her breakthrough at the event in 2019 — brimming with confidence and self-belief and certainly could be in a position to have her best result at the tournament.
But it’s not going to be easy. Despite her auspicious debut six years ago at the All England Club in which she reached the fourth round, she has never advanced past that point and lost in her opening-round match in her lone grass-court lead-in event in Berlin earlier this month.
And, perhaps most importantly, she is in an incredibly tough quarter of the draw and could face a number of challenging opponents, including Dayana Yastremska in the first round, potential second- and third-round meetings with former Australian Open champions Victoria Azarenka and Sofia Kenin (who upset her at Wimbledon in 2023), grass standout Liudmila Samsonova in the fourth round and either five-time major victor Iga Swiatek or 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. So, that’s a tall order and I’m frankly exhausted just typing all of that. Gauff certainly could win all of those matches, but it seems unlikely she will win major title No. 3 during the fortnight.
Bill Connelly: Gauff is definitely to the point where it would not be a surprise if she won any single tournament — her defense and speed are always elite, as is her ability to grind out wins when things threaten to go wayward. But her draw has so many landmines, and she’s only 9-6 on grass over the past two years. In fact, even including that initial upset of Venus Williams six years ago, she’s just 7-9 all time against top-50 players on grass, including three straight losses. She’ll likely have to get past three top-50 players just to get to Rybakina or Swiatek in the quarterfinals. That sounds like a bit too much to ask.
Simon Cambers: This could go one of two ways. Either Gauff goes to Wimbledon feeling as if she can do anything, buoyed by the confidence of winning at Roland Garros, or she’ll be exhausted, mentally, and lose early. It’s a funny one, this. In some ways, she should be high on confidence after winning the French Open and there’s no doubt that she’ll be walking even taller after coming out on top in Paris.
But in another way, I feel as if she never really played her best at Roland Garros, and while that’s also her thing, doing what it takes to win even when she’s not playing great tennis, on grass, where the ball will be flashing around faster than it does on clay, she won’t have much time to get up to speed, especially if any part of her game is malfunctioning.
If she can serve well, then she’ll give herself a chance of doing well, because she moves great and competes as well as anyone. But her draw is very tough; Dayana Yastremska is no pushover first up, Sofia Kenin or Taylor Townsend might be awkward in the third round and then Daria Kasatkina in the fourth and either Iga Swiatek or Elena Rybakina would be ultratough in the quarters. If she can get to Week 2, she’ll be hard to beat but that won’t be easy.
If there’s another epic Alcaraz vs. Sinner clash, who will prevail?
Maine: At this stage, I’m going to have to go with recent history and take Alcaraz. He has won eight of their 12 career meetings, including the past five. Sinner hasn’t beaten Alcaraz — on any surface, in any round of any tournament — since 2023 and has defeated him only once (three years ago) with a title on the line.
Sinner is No. 1 in the world for good reason and can beat everyone else, but Alcaraz seems to be his kryptonite. For now, anyway. (But I’ll reserve my Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova comparison for a later date.) And, since Alcaraz is the two-time defending Wimbledon champion and coming off yet another grass title at Queen’s Club, and Sinner has advanced only once to the semifinals at the All England Club, it certainly feels as if the odds would be in Alcaraz’s favor again.
Connelly: Alcaraz better hope it’s him. We’ve entered a period where it feels as if he’ll be the favorite in the natural-surface Slams (French Open, Wimbledon), and Sinner will be the favorite on hard courts (US Open, Australian Open). But obviously that French Open final was as even as possible — total points: Sinner 193, Alcaraz 192 — and had Sinner won basically one more point at the right time, we’d be talking about him having a chance at a calendar-year Slam and ripping off a “Roger Federer, 2004-07” run of Slams.
Alcaraz is definitely the favorite, both because he’s far more proven on grass and because Sinner might have to get past Djokovic on what is Djokovic’s best surface and Sinner’s worst. But … Sinner seems to be figuring things out.
Cambers: Alcaraz has the pedigree on grass, having won the title in each of the past two years, even if Sinner did win their only previous battle on the surface, at Wimbledon in 2022. Everything depends on how quickly Sinner is able to get over what happened in Paris. He seems the kind of person who can compartmentalize, who can rationalize that tournament as a good one, a step forward, even if others would be crumbling after failing on three match points in a Slam final. But it’s hard to see him being at his best again just yet, especially on a surface which, in theory, can give him issues.
Alcaraz will be tired, too, but as he showed at Queen’s, when he came through a bunch of tight matches to win the title, he will improve as the tournament progresses. With a good draw early, he can ease into the event and then will strengthen as the bigger matches arrive. If they do meet again here, that means it’s the final and you’d have to give Alcaraz the edge, mentally, simply because of what happened in Paris.
Iga Swiatek messages both Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz after their titles at the French Open
Iga Swiatek failed to defend her French Open title, but she did manage to reach the semi-finals as Coco Gauff won the title.
Aryna Sabalenka thinks Swiatek has lost confidence, making the claim after winning their semi-final at Roland Garros.
Swiatek had previously won the last three French Open titles before WTA number two Gauff secured her first.
Sabalenka thinks Swiatek would have beaten Gauff had they played the final, but it was instead played out between the American and the Belarusian.
And it was Gauff who emerged victorious, coming from behind to defeat the world number one 6-7(5-7), 6-2, 6-4.
Iga Swiatek messages French Open champions Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz meanwhile won the title on the ATP Tour, defeating world number one Jannik Sinner in the French capital.
And both the Spaniard and Gauff have now received messages from Swiatek following their titles at the French Open.
She wrote on Instagram: “Thank you Paris and Roland Garros! It’s been an amazing time on and off the court with some great challenges and high-quality matches.
“I’m very proud of the work we put together with my team and I definitely also learned some lessons. Every year in Paris gives me energy boost for the rest of the season and with that being said I’m starting my preparation to the grass season very, very soon.”
“Congrats Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz for your [trophies] and guys… what an absolutely mesmerising tennis we’ve seen from both of you. Wow.”
Gauff was quick to reply to her fellow WTA star, with the 21-year-old saying to the Pole: “Thank you so much Iga [smiley face]!”
Is Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka the new Iga Swiatek vs Aryna Sabalenka?
Gauff is clearly grateful for the support, which has been a common theme in women’s tennis in recent times.
There is a clear mutual respect among competitors, with that feeling particularly true of American women, who are constantly pushing each other to raise their levels.
At the same time, however, there is still a real competitiveness and many exciting rivalries are undoubtedly playing out.
Swiatek and Sabalenka was one such rivalry, with the pair having battled it out for the world number one spot and for many titles once upon a time.
But there may just be a changing of the tides on the WTA Tour, with Sabalenka and Gauff potentially the next big rivalry.
They also met in the Madrid Open final last month, where the Belarusian defeated the American in straight sets.
Rank
Player
Age
Points
1
Aryna Sabalenka
27
11,553
2
Coco Gauff
21
8,083
3
Jessica Pegula
31
6,483
4
Jasmine Paolini
29
4,805
5
Qinwen Zheng
22
4,668
6
Mirra Andreeva
18
4,636
7
Iga Swiatek
24
4,618
8
Madison Keys
30
4,484
9
Paula Badosa
27
3,684
10
Emma Navarro
24
3,649
WTA Tour top 10
Sabalenka remains top of the world rankings heading into the grass season, while Gauff is right behind her in second.
Swiatek meanwhile, a former world number one, has just dropped two places to seventh after the French Open.
Coco Gauff names LeBron James, Simone Biles and more as her inspirations outside tennis
World No. 2 Coco Gauff, who reached the 2025 French Open final, has revealed which athletes outside of tennis are her inspiration.
Lois Boisson’s profile: Who is French young tennis star? Age, height, career, ranking, partner, family and more
Novak Djokovic becomes the second oldest player to reach Roland Garros semifinals: Who holds the record?
Coco Gauff has been one of tennis’ rising stars in recent years. Already a Grand Slam winner, the American star, currently World No. 2, has made her way to the top of the WTA elite. While she has already revealed who she considers to be the GOAT of tennis, she recently opened up about which athletes inspired her outside of tennis.
“Sydney McLaughlin is someone I really like and look up to in that way,” she said of the two-time Olympic hurdler and sprinter. She also had some words for Simone Biles, who has won 11 Olympic medals.
“She just pushes herself and to me that’s crazy because in tennis we had Rafa, Roger and Novak all pushing each other, but in gymnastics, she doesn’t have anyone. So, the fact that she’s been able to move against herself. I think it is pretty cool,” she said during a press conference in Roland Garros.
Gauff also mentioned some basketball legends. “You have the obvious like LeBron, Michael and Kobe, that Mamba mentality. Those are people I look up to outside of tennis, but in tennis, it’s the usual: Serena, Rafa, Novak and Roger. The best of the best,” she added.
The 21-year-old has won nine career singles titles, including the 2023 US Open and 2024 WTA Finals, and nine doubles titles, including the 2024 French Open. With her win over Lois Boisson on Wednesday, Gauff has reached her first singles final at Roland Garros.
Gauff’s 2025 season so far: She could add her second major win in singles
Gauff opened the year with a strong performance, going unbeaten at the United Cup and leading Team USA to the title with a straight-sets win over Iga Swiatek. At the Australian Open, Gauff reached the quarterfinals before falling to Paula Badosa, ending her 13-match win streak.
While she was eliminated at the Round of 16 in both Miami and Indian Wells, she rebounded strongly on clay, reaching the finals in both Madrid and Rome with key wins over top-ranked players. Now, at Roland Garros she could add her second major win in singles, but first she will have to beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Saturday.
Either way, Gauff has made history as the youngest player to reach 25 career wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis achieved the feat in 2000. Hingis was just 19 when she hit that milestone in Paris.
Rising Star Coco Gauff Shocks Tennis World with Victory over Madison Keys at Roland Garros
In a stunning turn of events at Roland Garros, young tennis sensation Coco Gauff delivered a remarkable performance, defeating World No.8 Madison Keys to secure her spot in the semi-finals. The tennis world is buzzing with excitement as Gauff continues to showcase her talent and determination on the grand stage.
Legendary tennis player Chris Evert couldn’t help but praise Gauff, hailing her as a true “fighter” for her outstanding display on the court. Gauff’s victory over a top-ranked opponent like Keys is a testament to her skill and tenacity, solidifying her reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the world of tennis.
Fans and critics alike are eagerly anticipating Gauff’s next match as she vies for a spot in the Roland Garros final. Stay tuned as this young star takes the tennis world by storm with her fearless attitude and unparalleled talent.
