Jasmine Paolini Makes Feelings Clear on American Crowd After Eliminating Coco Gauff in Cincinnati Open

“This is unbelievable,” Coco Gauff said with raw emotion after lifting the Cincinnati Open crown in 2023, her voice echoing the struggles and triumphs of a turbulent European summer. That victory made her the first teenager since 17-year-old Linda Tuero in 1968 to capture a WTA 1000 title at this event, a moment etched in history. Fast forward to this year, and the stage was set once again, with Paris joy and Wimbledon heartbreak fueling the fire of expectation ahead of the US Open. Yet destiny had other plans. Under Cincinnati’s lights, Italian warrior Jasmine Paolini shattered the script, dismissing Gauff and making her feelings clear to the American crowd.

The serving struggles that have shadowed Coco Gauff resurfaced Friday night in Cincinnati, ultimately costing her a place in the semifinals. The World No. 2, fresh off her Roland Garros triumph, fell in a grueling three-set battle to World No. 9 Jasmine Paolini, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. The clash stretched over two hours and three minutes, showcasing flashes of Gauff’s brilliance but also the persistent flaws that have haunted her summer hard-court campaign. For Paolini, however, this was a night of triumph and resilience. The Italian not only improved her H2H record to 3-2 against the American but also marched into her third WTA 1000 semifinal of 2025, building on her stunning title run at the Italian Open in May. 

Immediately after sealing the win, Paolini spoke with honesty about the difficulty of the match and the environment she faced. “It was so tough. Coco was playing amazing and at the beginning, I was like running and try to put the ball inside the court but it was really tough, you know,” she admitted, reflecting on the shaky start that eventually gave way to momentum in her favor. “I think after a little bit I started to feel better with ball because the condition in night is bit different. I stay there for every point. I try to fight for every point and it works so I am really happy and thank you for cheering for me! Because you know, we are in the states, I mean, Coco is from here, but thank you as well for cheering for me,” Paolini added, her words carrying gratitude and defiance as she saluted the Cincinnati crowd.

For a brief moment, the Cincinnati night looked destined to belong to Coco Gauff. The American stormed through the opening set 6-2, breaking Jasmine Paolini’s serve three times and firing two aces while winning over 82 percent of her first-serve points. Her athleticism and defense seemed overwhelming, echoing her previous hard-court victories over the Italian.

But the momentum shifted in the second set. Gauff’s serve began to falter, dropping to just 53 percent, while double faults piled up, five in the set alone. Paolini pounced, breaking Gauff three straight times to snatch the set 6-4, her resilience carving open the cracks in the American’s game.

The decider exposed those cracks further. Gauff opened with three double faults to hand Paolini an immediate break. The Italian rolled her ankle briefly but pushed forward, refusing to surrender the moment. Though Gauff clawed back from 3-1 down and halted a streak of five consecutive service breaks, she could not stop Paolini from striking again at 4-3.

With a final roar to her team, Paolini sealed the victory as Gauff’s forehand drifted into the net. For Coco, the double faults remain a haunting distortion, one she must conquer with the US Open looming.

Coco Gauff exits Cincinnati Open after costly double-faults

Coco Gauff’s Cincinnati campaign came undone under the weight of a familiar flaw, her serve. The 21-year-old American star committed 16 double faults and 62 unforced errors, numbers that painted the picture of a night filled with frustration and squandered chances. The unraveling began in the third set when she opened with three double faults, handing Jasmine Paolini an immediate break. 

From there, the emotions boiled over as Gauff waved her arms in disbelief, slammed her racket into the court, and trudged back to the baseline, fighting a battle as much with herself as with her opponent.

The loss marked her third straight defeat to Paolini this year, following one setback in Rome and the other in Stuttgart. For a player who thrives on rhythm and resilience, the inconsistency of her serve has become the storm cloud over her hard-court swing. In fact, the struggles had been evident earlier in Canada, where she recorded 42 double faults across three matches, including 23 in a single encounter against Danielle Collins. Though she managed to survive that clash, the red flags were undeniable, and they carried into Cincinnati.

The history is not lost on her either. At last year’s U.S. Open, Gauff bowed out in the Round of 16 against Emma Navarro, plagued by 19 double faults. Now, as the reigning Roland Garros champion, she faces the challenge of proving that her serve is not an Achilles’ heel but a weapon sharpened in time for New York.

The question hangs heavy: can Coco Gauff tame her serving demons and rise again at Flushing Meadows? She has already conquered the city once, lifting her maiden slam there in 2023. With her fire, grit, and sheer willpower, the path to redemption remains open, but only if she finds a way to silence the double-fault storm.