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Former World No.1 Claims Coco Gauff is Playing ‘C-level’ Tennis at Canadian Open: 'She Didn’t Have Confidence'

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Gouri Das | Last updated Aug 1, 2025 10:37 AM ET

Coco Gauff did not secure a berth in the fourth round of the Canadian Open without toiling for hours. She kick-started her campaign against compatriot Danielle Collins, whom she knocked out with a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2) scoreline.

During the match, the first seed committed 23 double faults. But as she was able to eke out the win despite those mistakes, she received praise from former World No.1 Lindsay Davenport, who observed that Gauff kept looking at her grip while serving, and concluded that she must be working on a new technique but has yet to perfect it.

She was not comfortable with it yet. It looks like they know it’s a problem, and she didn’t have the confidence with it last night. Her toss was all over the place. But she still wins. It’s unbelievable her ability to figure out ways to win when she is playing, honestly, C-level tennis out there. She did a fantastic job managing her emotions.
Lindsay Davenport said on the Tennis Channel Live Podcast

In the next round on Thursday, Gauff came from a set down to knock out Veronika Kudermetova with scores of 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. While it was Gauff’s first match against Collins, she has now played four times against Kudermetova and holds a 3-1 head-to-head lead.

Coco Gauff is proud of her matches at the Canadian Open

Not just Lindsay Davenport, even Coco Gauff herself thinks that she is not at all playing her best tennis. But as she kept her calm and eked out the win, she is nothing but proud of her efforts.

I’m sure everyone can read my body language, so I don’t think I’m gonna be that nice to myself. Mentally, I’m very proud of myself. There are obviously parts of my games I have to work on, and one of those is the serve. The fact I’m winning these matches, not feeling my best, is something to be proud of. I only can look forward to the future when I am feeling my best. Hopefully, it’s a bit easier.
Coco Gauff said during her on-court interview

The Canadian Open is Gauff’s first tournament since her Wimbledon first-round exit. On the grass swing, the 21-year-old failed to win a set, losing at the Berlin Open and Wimbledon opening rounds in straight sets.

She is playing the Montreal WTA 1000 tournament for the fifth time in her career, and produced her best when she reached the quarterfinals in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Last year, her run was ended by Diana Shnaider in the third round.

Gauff is chasing her second title of the season. She has so far played three finals this year- all on clay- at the Madrid Open, Italian Open, and the French Open. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and home favorite Jasmine Paolini claimed the win in Madrid and Rome, but in Paris, Gauff beat the Belarusian to lift her career’s first French Open singles title.

Coco Gauff will play Victoria Mboko next

Gauff will now be up against a player who has been producing impressive performances. It’s Victoria Mboko, the 18-year-old home favorite, who beat Kimberly Birrell, 23rd seed Sofia Kenin, and Marie Bouzkova to schedule the clash with the two-time Grand Slam singles champion.

This season, the Canadian ace made her Grand Slam qualifying debut at the French Open and ended up securing a spot in the main draw. She made it to the third round, where 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng ended her campaign. At Wimbledon, then, after playing the qualifying round, the teenager progressed to the second round, where Hailey Baptiste knocked her out.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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