By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, August 10, 2025
Photo credit: Internazionali BNL d’Italia Facebook

Coco Gauff kick-started her Cincinnati return gearing up her serve to post a revenge win.

The reigning Roland Garros rolled through 16 of her last 19 service points stopping Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2 to roll into the Cincinnati Open third round.

“It feels great to be back in Cincinnati; obviously two years ago I won,” Gauff said. “And set me up for a great two weeks in New York. So it means a lot to me, this tournament, and I was very happy just to see the site and the improvements and we’re back here in Cincy.”

"It means a lot to me, this tournament." 💚@CocoGauff | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/3wlTxEkDEP

— wta (@WTA) August 10, 2025

The second seeded Gauff avenged a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Wang she suffered on the grass of Berlin in June—and did it by resetting after early serve struggles.

Five games into the match, a frustrated Gauff gifted the break to Wang with three double faults, dropped her Head racquet to the court and kicked it toward her court-side seat.

That rare show of exasperation grounded Gauff, who found the range and rhythm on serve.

After spitting up eight double faults in her first three service games, Gauff did not hit a double fault the rest of the match, won 20 of her last 23 service points and snatched three of the last seven games at love.

“I think just taking my time and remembering the things you worked on in practice,” Gauff told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj of finding her serve. “And just try not to fall into the same old patterns and it’s definitely difficult in the moment. It’s a work in progress.”

Exploiting Wang’s deep return position—and the world No. 37’s struggles to land forehand returns—Gauff beat Wang for the second time in three meetings.

The second-ranked American will try to sustain this Cincinnati revenge tour against hard-hitting Dayana Yastremska, who upset Gauff in the Wimbledon first round, 7-6(3), 6-1. 

The Gauff serve was in the spotlight on a steam Cincinnati afternoon today.

Gauff coughed up 43 double faults in three Montreal matches, including a career-high 23 doubles in a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2) win over compatriot Danielle Collins.

The 2023 Cincinnati champion was haunted by double fault ghosts in the first game today. Gauff clanked a couple of double faults but fended off two break points holding to open. 

Double fault demons devoured Gauff as she served at 3-1. After her seventh double fault, Gauff slammed a racquet to the court. Double fault No. 8 ended the game and ignited an irate Gauff into that rare racquet slam and kick of frustration.

Venting her angst seemed to settle Gauff who broke right back for 4-2.

Wang stamped her first hold of the match at love to close the gap to 3-5. 

Serving for the set, Gauff exploited the Chinese player’s forehand return drawing successive errors off that wing then spinning a clean crosscourt forehand snatching a one-set lead after 41 minutes.

It’s a testament to Gauff’s mental strength—and the rest of her game—that she overcome eight double faults, two full games worth of doubles, yet still only permitted three games winning the set.

The Delray Beach-born Gauff trains in the heat and humidity of South Florida. Playing on a sweltering day with temperatures soaring to 90 degrees with 46 percent humidity, Gauff showed no signs of fatigue.

In fact, Gauff got stronger as the match progressed. She ran off 14 consecutive points on serve seizing a 4-2 second-set lead.

Playing with taping on her right calf, Wang inexplicably continued to target Gauff’s backhand wing and struggled to control her own wayward forehand. A Wang double fault and netted half-volley gave Gauff a love break for 5-2. 

The second seed drew a series of errors closing in 70 minutes.

Earlier, Rome champion Jasmine Paolini overcame late-set nerves and a tough Maria Sakkari 7-6(2), 7-6(5).

Credit Sakkari for battling back from 1-5 down in the first set—and fighting off four set points with Paolini serving at 5-3—to force the first tiebreaker. 

Lifting her level in the breaker, Paolini drew five Sakkari errors to go up 6-2. On her fifth set point, the 2024 Wimbledon finalist fired a diagonal forehand for a one-set lead.

Paolini, who squandered a match point bowing to Elina Svitolina in the Roland Garros round of 16, was coming off a brutal Montreal loss where she failed to convert match point in a 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) loss to qualifier Aoi Ito, who bamboozled the Italian with slice forehands in the deciding tiebreaker.

Racing to a 6-0 lead in the second-set tiebreaker today, Paolini was in prime position for a match ending backhand volley only to bunt it in the tape. The ball dribbled back on her side then Sakkari firing winners and saving five match points to close to 5-6 in the breaker.

All that good work dissipated when Sakkari double faulted on the sixth match point and Paolini breathed a big sigh of relief.

“Yes, I’m sorry for her but I was like please make the double, I have to be honest because it was a really tough tiebreaker,” Paolini told Tennis Channel’s Steve Weissman afterward. “It was 6-0 and a volley over the net and I miss it in the net. I was trying to make the right choices, but I have to say she played well. 

“I was like come on Jasmine don’t worry you won six points in a row she won five points in a row it’s normal. But at the same time I was like come on please make a double fault.”