Coco Gauff made a winning return to competition at the Canadian Open after an early-round shock exit at Wimbledon.
In the second round, the American beat compatriot Danielle Collins 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 in Montreal on Tuesday night. However, it was her serving woes that gathered the headlines.
Gauff had to overcome 23 double-faults to win for the first time since the French Open final.
Gauff hadn’t played since losing in the first round at Wimbledon and appeared to have made a change to her serving grip during her time away. She struggled with it during the match, hitting some serves that were well long and others that were soft and easily pounced on by the powerful Collins.
“It was a frustrating match for me,” Gauff said. “I felt like I was practicing well and then I don’t think I transferred it today, but hopefully I got my bad match of the tournament out of the way and I could come back stronger the next round.”
But that was not to be!
Coco Gauff’s Struggle With Servings
Coco Gauff survived yet another serving performance in the third round on her way to victory against Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova 4-6 7-5 6-2.
The world No 2 sent down 14 double-faults to add to the 23 she served up in the previous round against Collins.
“It was a tough match,” Gauff said. “I thought I did well mentally, especially on the return. I was playing an opponent that served really well. Obviously, I would like to serve better on my end, but overall, just happy to get through.”
Gauff has persistently struggled with her servings in recent times. Serving issues have often been attributed to mental inconsistency and technical faultlines by experts. The American has often attributed her erratic servings to mental pressure.
Also Read: Canadian Open: Top 4 Favourites To Win Title Ft. Taylor Fritz
Here is a list of double faults committed by Coco Gauff in recent times:
2024 US Open (September)
During her title defense at US Open, Gauff sent 19 double faults in a fourth-round loss to Emma Navarro- equalling her previous personal worst from four years earlier. She committed 60 unforced errors in total.
2024 WTA Tour Season
Gauff made 430 double faults during the 2024 WTA Tour with 430 double faults over 71 matches in 2024 at an average of 6 per match. This was significantly more than the 219 she made in 66 matches during the 2023 season, where she averaged 3.3 per match.
2025 Indian Wells Open- March
Gauff overcame 21 double faults in a win against Moyuka Uchijima. He committed 10 of them in the third set alone. He also made 74 unforced errors but went on to win a third-set tiebreaker.
2025 Miami Open- March
Gauff served 12 double faults and 45 unforced errors in a straight‑sets loss to Magda Linette. She was double‑faulting on 26% of her second serves, which is significantly higher than any other top‑50 player.
2025 Canadian Open (July)
Gauff managed a comeback win against Danielle Collins despite a staggering 23 double faults and 74 unforced errors. Two days later, she struck 14 double faults again in her victory over Veronika Kudermetova.
