Coco Gauff arrived at the Australian Open as the world No. 3, but her campaign unraveled in the quarter-finals. Elina Svitolina handed her a brutal 6–1, 6–2 defeat, a loss that echoed beyond Melbourne and triggered a costly slide in the rankings.

After Saturday night’s final, the WTA released its updated rankings. Coco Gauff dropped from World No. 3 to World No. 5. It marked a notable shift in her standing after the AO.

This fall also ended a long run of consistency. For the first time in 16 months, Gauff is no longer ranked inside the top four. Amanda Anisimova stayed firm at No. 4, while AO champion Elena Rybakina climbed two places to No. 3.

At the top, there was no change. Iga Swiatek remained World No. 2. Aryna Sabalenka continued her reign as the world’s top-ranked player. The upper tier of the rankings stayed tightly packed.

Gauff has faced similar moments before. After her 2024 US Open title defense ended in the R16, she dropped sharply to World No. 6 in September that year. It was one of the biggest dips of her young career.

That slide did not last long. Gauff rebounded quickly and returned to World No. 4 in October 2024. Her recovery underlined her consistency and ability to respond under pressure.

She finished the 2024 season ranked third in the world. For most of the 2025 season, she held that same position. During late clay events and the early grass swing, she even climbed briefly to No. 2.

Her current ranking could complicate upcoming tournaments. A lower seeding may lead to tougher matchups earlier at the Masters 1000 events in Doha and Dubai. Serious contenders could appear well before the finals.

There is, however, a silver lining. Gauff has very few points to defend in the Middle East Swing. She suffered first-round losses in Doha and Dubai last February, leaving room for gains.

Anisimova is only 257 points ahead of Gauff. As the defending Qatar Open champion, Anisimova must defend 1,000 points. That gap could narrow quickly in February.

Gauff will next play the Middle East Swing, followed by the Sunshine Swing in March. Attention will also turn to Indian Wells and the Miami Open. 

However, despite the ranking dip, former legends continue to back Coco Gauff as she pushes forward in her quest to rebuild ranking points.

Caroline Wozniacki backs Coco Gauff after shock Australian Open defeat

Coco Gauff endured a brutal night against Elina Svitolina at the AO. The match quickly turned one-sided. It was uncomfortable to watch as the American struggled to find answers on court.

Throughout the contest, Gauff repeatedly looked toward her team for support. She searched for solutions, but none arrived. In under an hour, her campaign ended in painful fashion.

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Despite the heavy loss, the focus now shifts forward. Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki believes there are positives to take.

Speaking live on ESPN, Wozniacki struck an optimistic tone. “This is gonna be a great learning curve for Coco. She always comes back stronger, but she’s definitely gonna be watching this match, seeing what went wrong and how they can improve that for the future and for the next match.”

Wozniacki also highlighted Gauff’s age as a major advantage. “The good news for her is that she’s still so young, she’ll have so many opportunities out here on the big stages. But for Svitolina, what an opportunity being back here in the semifinals and trying to go for her first major.”

While supportive, Wozniacki did not ignore Gauff’s weaknesses. She pointed to a long-standing issue in her game. The forehand once again came under scrutiny.

“The problem with Coco Gauff’s forehand is confidence. She can get a lot of racket head speed on it, but when you don’t have confidence, that racket head speed even goes lower. It just makes it a lot harder to hit through.”

Wozniacki also noted recent progress. “Now, Coco’s finding a way to really get more spin, get more depth on it. So when she’s feeling confident, like she is now, trust doesn’t become as big of an issue.”

Gauff now turns her attention to the Middle East swing. Those tournaments will shape what comes next. Before returning for the Sunshine Swing, she will be eager to reclaim valuable ranking points.