Coco Gauff Draws Heat From Fans as Naomi Osaka Shines at US Open: “Act Like a Professional”

Coco Gauff’s 2025 US Open campaign has been a rollercoaster of emotions and technical struggles, culminating in a highly anticipated fourth-round clash against Naomi Osaka. The American, seeded third and defending her reputation from her 2023 title run, battled through early-round turbulence, including a mentally exhausting first-round match where she admitted to feeling the weight of ongoing service woes and heightened expectations.

Her journey to this stage was marked by a sudden coaching change and very public serving struggles, with 18 double faults in her first two matches alone, creating concern among fans and analysts about her readiness for the latter stages of the tournament. The stage was set for a redemption arc as Gauff faced Osaka on Arthur Ashe Stadium, six years after their emotional first meeting, where a teenage Gauff was reduced to tears by Osaka’s dominant performance.

This rematch was supposed to be different—a chance for the now-mature Gauff to showcase her growth and cement her status as America’s tennis present and future. However, from the opening games, it became apparent that Gauff’s game was not operating at the level required to challenge an in-form Osaka, with the American’s forehand particularly vulnerable and her serve still showing concerning inconsistency despite recent adjustments.

As the match progressed, frustration among spectators became palpable both in the stadium and across social media platforms. Gauff’s performance was characterized by unforced errors—16 in the first set alone—compared to just five from Osaka, highlighting the stark difference in execution between the two players.

The disappointment from fans was particularly acute given Gauff’s status as home favorite and the massive celebrity support she had enjoyed throughout the tournament.

Coco Gauff’s performance disappointed the fans

A lot of fans had some strong opinions about Coco Gauff’s mental toughness and body language during the match. One comment even said, “@CocoGauff just needs to grow up and act like a professional athlete.” This straightforward comment really points out how one-sided the match was, saying, “Coco Gauff getting schooled.” Another fan chimed in, “Coco Gauff. I Gotta Stop Playing With My Heart. I Just Knew This Would Be The Type Of Performance You’d Have.”

So, Naomi totally flipped the script on the whole story. Do you remember? When she said, “Um, I hope, can somebody come to the match and cheer for me? Because, I mean, it’s kind of tough playing an American here, but I hope you guys kind of adopted me as well. So I don’t know, I kind of also see her as a little sister, so it’s really cool to be playing her here again.”

Indeed, even with all the home crowd cheering for Gauff, Osaka managed to grab a straight set win, 6-3, 6-2. “Naomi Osaka is definitely winning the mental game so far, Coco Gauff is on panic mode. It’s going keep going downhill very far for her if she doesn’t calm down,” another fan commented before the match wrapped up with a win for the Japanese.

A fan mentioned Gauff’s weakness, saying, “Too many unforced errors by Coco Gauff, you can’t beat a rejuvenated Osaka playing like that.” In the end, Gauff’s mistakes and mental struggles were just too much to handle against a calm and focused Osaka, leaving American fans disappointed in their hopes for a home win.