Coco Gauff beat Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals and Sorana Cirstea in the semi-finals of the Italian Open.
The world number four had a lot more trouble in her quarter-final match than in her semi-final, though.
In the quarter-finals, Gauff defeated Andreeva 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, before easing past Cirstea, 6-4, 6-3.
Is Coco Gauff playing well enough to win Rome and Roland Garros?
She's into the Italian Open final!
Speaking to the ‘Tennis Channel‘, after her latest win, Gauff explained why her semi-final win was more comfortable.
Coco Gauff says the conditions helped her serve better against Sorana Cirstea in the semi-finals
“I felt the difference when I was serving today vs my night match against Mirra [Andreeva],” said Gauff.
“I was like, oh my serves are actually doing some damage on the court.
“It’s definitely a little bit easier when it’s daytime!”
Coco Gauff’s serving stats vs Mirra Andreeva
- Aces – 2
- Double faults – 4
- 1st Serve % – 72%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 61%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 45%
Coco Gauff’s serving stats vs Sorana Cirstea
- Aces – 0
- Double faults – 1
- 1st Serve % – 78%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 74%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 50%
Gauff took advantage of the warmer conditions, securing the win in straight sets.
She was pleased with the win, dealing with Cirstea more easily than she did in Madrid, where she was forced into a decider.
“I definitely felt really comfortable out there today, which I’m happy about because there were some long ones this week.
Coco Gauff’s route to the Italian Open final
| Round | Opponent | Score | Sets played | Games played | Match time |
| SF | Sorana Cirstea | 6-4, 6-3 | 2 | 19 | 1hr, 15 |
| QF | Mirra Andreeva | 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 | 3 | 28 | 2hr, 18 |
| 4R | Iva Jovic | 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 | 3 | 32 | 2hr, 45 |
| 3R | Solana Sierra | 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 | 3 | 28 | 2hr, 10 |
| 2R | Tereza Valentova | 6-3, 6-4 | 2 | 19 | 1hr, 34 |
“But overall, it was for sure one of my best matches this season so far.
“I think in those bigger points, I was able to be more steady, and I was able to make it physical and not let her dictate.
“When you let her dictate, it’s really hard, and also, I think my first serve percentage was pretty high, so that was important because she’s pretty aggressive on the second serve.”
Gauff was then asked how she peaks in time for the big events on tour, especially during this stretch of the clay-court season.
“Obviously, everyone wants to do well at the Slams,” she said.
“Even coming into these tournaments, maybe my team has a grand training plan that I don’t know about to get me physically and mentally peaking at the Slams, but for some reason, every time around this year, I start to play better, so it’s clearly working!
“Today I felt pretty satisfied.
“Three-setters, it’s fun to figure it out, and you get really proud of yourself, but you also want to remind yourself that you can play good tennis at times.
“I think this week, this was the most satisfying, because I had a couple of long matches, so I was happy to get off the court a little bit quicker against a great opponent.”
Finally, Gauff commented on the importance of experience on tour.
“I honestly think it depends on the player,” she said.
“I think sometimes your first year on tour is the easiest in a way, if you’re a great talent, just because there are no points [to defend], no pressure, every tournament is a new experience.
“Then people start talking, and maybe making a quarter-final is not such a good result, it’s something you should do.
“I guess keys to both sides, I think it’s great to be in the ignorance is bliss, and all of that, and then also, it’s great to have a bunch of experience in those moments.
“So it’s a little bit of both.”
Gauff will look to put her experience to good use when she returns for the Italian Open final
Coco Gauff faces tricky Elina Svitolina test in the Italian Open final
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina defeated Iga Swiatek in the second semi-final to advance to Saturday’s championship match.
Who do you think is winning the women’s Italian Open final? 🏆
Gauff and Svitolina have met five times previously, with the latter leading their head-to-head, 3-2.
Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships – SF | Elina Svitolina | Coco Gauff | 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 |
| 2026 Australian Open – QF | Elina Svitolina | Coco Gauff | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2024 US Open – 3R | Coco Gauff | Elina Svitolina | 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2024 ASB Classic – F | Coco Gauff | Elina Svitolina | 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2021 Australian Open – 2R | Elina Svitolina | Coco Gauff | 6-4, 6-3 |
Having already beaten Gauff twice this year, Svitolina may fancy her chances of lifting the Italian Open trophy.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious in Rome, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when Gauff and Svitolina meet in the Italian Open final on Saturday, May 16.
