Coco Gauff will be in action next at the WTA Dubai Open this week, just days after her opening-round exit at the Qatar Open. Once again, fans are not feeling confident in her chances at the tournament, with good reason.
Gauff lost in straight-sets against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in Doha, following which she made some rather concerning comments about the way her tennis is feeling these days.
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“I just feel like some of the things I’ve been working on in practice just aren’t translating into the match court, which is super frustrating. I’ve been having good practices, but just not playing well in the matches. I think I just need to find how to get that to translate,” Gauff said in her press conference.
Now, with the draw of the Dubai Open out, Gauff is the No. 3 seed, following Elena Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova. After a bye in the first round, she will take on either Jelena Ostapenko or Anna Kalinskaya in the second. The former reached the semifinals in Doha, while the latter reached as far as the quarterfinals. WIth further wins, the American is likely to take on Emma Navarro in the third round, and then No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals.
Should she reach the semifinals, Coco Gauff is expected to face off against No. 1 seed and defending Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the semifinals, followed by a potential battle against No. 2 seed Anisimova in the final.
A combination of such difficult match-ups waiting and Gauff’s own poor form has left fans completely devoid of hope, with some even predicting she might leave the Middle East Swing without winning a single match.
“Coco’s dubai draw….the establishment does not want her to win a match in the middle east swing,” one fan wrote on X.
Another fan said:
“Rip Coco, should’ve skipped the Middle East,” the fan commented on Reddit.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
“R1 – bye. R2 – bye bye,” one user joked.
“They gave coco a draw from the deepest pits of hell,” another wrote.
“They really don’t want Coco winning a match do they,” one fan said.
At the Dubai Open last year, Gauff lost in the second round, going out against McCartney Kessler in straight sets.
What Coco Gauff said about her Dubai Open chances
Speaking in her press conference after the Qatar Open loss, Coco Gauff appeared confident about her chances at the Dubai Open, stating that she was not ‘too upset’ despite the poor showing in Doha.
The American hoped to learn from her loss to Elisabetta Cocciaretto and do much better in Dubai, a learning she hoped to bring to the Middle East Swing from next year as well.
“I was really confident to start the year off, so I don’t really know if it’s that. Today I was feeling good going into the match, and confident. I don’t know, I mean, obviously my last match in Australia wasn’t good, and then today wasn’t good either. I don’t know. I think I am just going to try to learn from it, and hopefully do better in Dubai,” Gauff said.
“I’m also not like too upset, because I didn’t do well here last year. I feel like it’s also something that I have to find how to compete better in this part of the swing,” she added.
Gauff’s best result at the Dubai Open has been reaching the semifinals, which she achieved in 2023 before losing to Iga Swiatek.
Edited by Shyam Kamal