Cruise Control: Gauff Races Into Fourth US Open Fourth Round

By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, August 30, 2025
Photo credit: Jon Buckle/ROLEX

 NEW YORK—Tears and fears haunted Coco Gauff on Arthur Ashe Stadium Thursday night.

Today, Gauff plugged into positivity delivering elation and domination to the US Open third round.

Gauff charged through nine of the last 10 games dismissing Magdalena Frech, 6-1, 6-3 to race into the US Open fourth round for the fourth consecutive year.

“I thought today I played well,” Gauff said. “It was tough playing two night matches. Having to play in the shade on that side [today], it was kind of hard to see the ball, but overall I’m very happy with how I played and to be through to the next round.”

Gauff said she woke up with a fresh perspective after showing anguish and anxiety on Thursday night.

The reigning Roland Garros champion said overwhelming crowd support helped her release the heavy weight of pressure she’s carried on her shoulders.

“I mean, for me I think I just realized that I don’t want that moment to happen again, like, on court for sure,” Gauff said. “I don’t want to show, I guess, weakness in moments. But after the match I was thinking, like, maybe it’s not a weakness. It’s just showing the things that happen in my head and not keeping it inside to the point where I can’t play.

“But I felt with the new perspective, seeing all the support I’ve gotten since that moment, just seeing how proud people are of me regardless of how I do here. Today I felt a lot lighter going on court, and I hope to continue feeling that light weight for the rest of the time here.”

A couple of hours after Gauff’s win, Naomi Osaka cracked nine aces defeating Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 on Louis Armstrong Stadium to set up a blockbuster Flushing Meadows fourth-round clash vs. Gauff in a battle of former US Open champion.

Montreal finalist Osaka exploited 14 double faults from Kasatkina posting her ninth win in her last 10 matches.

Serving for the match today, Osaka drilled three winners, including a forehand drive volley that skimmed the tape, closing in one hour, 44 minutes. Osaka hit 37 winners, 22 more than the counter-punching Kasatkina.

“I was just trying to tell myself to stay calm,” Osaka told Blair Henley afterward. “I was so shaky today. I was glad, I think it was an entertaining match. I was glad whenever I come here it feels like home and you guys were great so thank you.”

The third-seeded Gauff is 3-2 lifetime vs. the 23rd-seeded Osaka.

“I hope can somebody come to the match and cheer for me,” Osaka said. “I mean it’s kind of tough playing an American here, but I hope you guys kind of adopted me as well.

“I kind of also see [Coco] as a little sister so it’s really cool to be playing her here again.”

Gauff said she feels facing the four-time major champion alleviates some of the pressure on her.

“I think she’s having a great season and always a tough player and a threat, especially on hard court, so I think that match I guess odds-wise can really go either way,” Gauff said of facing Osaka. “I think for me that almost takes the pressure off.”

Their lone US Open meeting came six years ago in the third round with Osaka dominating 6-3, 6-0. Gauff is a much different player these days.

“My recollections were that I remember just knowing that she was going to be a really great tennis
player, which I was right,” Osaka said of the 2019 meeting. “But yeah, I mean, she
was, what, 15 at the time? I thought she just handled herself really well, and I knew she was going to be back there.

“Now to be playing her again after six years, I don’t know if that makes me old, but yeah, just to be at this point of my life and to be playing her again is honestly, for me, feels kind of special.”

Of course, in every Gauff match her serve is under the microscope.

Ten days ago, Gauff axed former coach Matt Daly and hired Aryna Sabalenka’s former biomechanical coach Gavin MacMillan, who helped world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka fix her wayward serve.

The top-seeded Sabalenka has credited MacMillan with showing her video of flaws in her serve and helping her correct them to the more streamlined motion that has helped her rise to world No. 1 and reach four of the last seven major finals. 

The 2023 US Open champion Gauff’s serving woes hit a nadir in Montreal this month where Gauff coughed up 43 double faults in three matches en route to the quarterfinals.

Today, Gauff registered her best serving day since bringing MacMillan on board.

The third-seeded Gauff took some pace off the first serve and aimed for bigger targets, often jamming up Frech with body serves right into the hip. Gauff served 76 percent, won 25 of 35 first-serve points and face only two break points in a clean 73-minute triumph.

Gauff surged to a 3-0 lead then double-faulted back the break in the fifth game, one of four doubles she hit today. French exploited the American’s third error to level at 3-all.

Then Gauff shifted into a higher gear. Working the ball corner to corner and sometimes stepping in to smack her trademark two-hander, Gauff overpowered the Pole converting her third break point to break again for 5-3.

On her second set point, Gauff pounded away at the Frech forehand drawing an errant shot on the 16th stroke to snatch a one-set lead after 42 minutes.

Contrary to the emotional stress she showed Thursday night when Gauff shed tears after taking the first set of a 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Donna Vekic, the Delray Beach baseliner was both more relaxed and player more proactive tennis today.

Gauff won 10 of 11 trips to net in this third-rounder. The weight of Gauff’s groundstrokes and her speed around the court proved oppressive in the second set.

The 2023 US Open champion won 14 of 16 points in one stretch, scoring a pair of love breaks, as she stormed out to a 4-1 lead. On her second match point, Gauff closed it on a Frech error, improving to 16-2 lifetime in Grand Slam third-round matches.

A day after American seeds Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Emma Navarro all suffered painful defeats, Gauff was all smiles joining 2024 finalist and former doubles partner Jessica Pegula and world No. 1 Taylor Townsend in the round of 16 with Amanda Anisimova still standing as well.

The fourth-round clash vs. Osaka will be Gauff’s toughest test of the tournament so far.