Coco Gauff Dealt Nightmare Draw at 2025 US Open

Originally posted on Serve on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 2:53 PM ET

Earlier this summer, Coco Gauff captured her second Grand Slam title on the clay courts of Roland Garros. However, Gauff struggled on grass and the North American hard court swing, going 5-4 since winning in Paris.

Due to her slump and the rapid return of Iga Swiatek, Gauff fell to WTA World No. 3. Yesterday, Gauff made the bold decision to shake up her coaching staff before the US Open.

On Thursday afternoon, tournament organizers for the US Open unveiled the men's and women's singles draw. Below is a round-by-round breakdown of Gauff's challenging path to victory.

The women's singles bottom half draw is set! pic.twitter.com/fbY6LdRzbx
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 21, 2025

In the first round , Gauff will face Ajla Tomljanovic. Gauff is 1-0 against Tomljanovic. In the second round, Gauff will face either Donna Vekić or Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. Gauff is 1-1 against Vekić and has never faced Bouzas Maneiro.

Should Gauff advance to the third round , she could face either 28-seed Magdalena Fręch or Peyton Stearns. Gauff is 2-0 against Fręch and has never faced Stearns.

Gauff's road to the final gets even trickier in the fourth round . She could face 15-seed Daria Kasatkina, 23-seed Naomi Osaka, or Caroline Garcia. Gauff is 0-3 against Kasatkina, 3-2 against Osaka, and 2-3 against Garcia.

Here's who could be your final 8️⃣ from the women's singles draw!

This is going to be good pic.twitter.com/knYNcONCRg
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 21, 2025

In the quarterfinals , Gauff could face six-seed Madison Keys, 11-seed Karolína Muchová, 27-seed Marta Kostyuk, or Linda Nosková. Gauff is 3-3 against Keys, 3-2 against Kostyuk, and 2-0 against Nosková.

The semifinals could bring a matchup against two-seed Iga Swiatek, eight-seed Amanda Anisimova, 12-seed Elina Svitolina, 13-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, or 29-seed Anna Kalinskaya.

Should Gauff make it through her side of the bracket, the final could be a matchup against top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, four-seed Jasmine Paolini, five-seed Mirra Andreeva, nine-seed Elena Rybakina, ten-seed Emma Navarro, or 22-seed Victoria Mboko.

The last time Gauff entered a Grand Slam as the third-ranked player, she beat the odds to secure a title. Can she do it again and reclaim her US Open title?

The US Open singles draw runs from August 24 to September 7.

This article first appeared on Serve on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: