In 2022, Coco Gauff won the Canadian Open title, teaming up with Jessica Pegula. Following that impressive triumph, she became the women’s doubles world number one for the first time in her career. Reacting to that historic moment, Gauff had then said, “As a kid, I’m going to be honest with you, I didn’t even know there were separate rankings for singles and doubles. But when I got on tour and when I realised I could do well in doubles, yes. …I wanted to.”

After being runner-up in the championship matches at the 2021 US Open and the 2022 French Open, Gauff finally tasted success in the doubles events at the major in 2024 when she won the doubles title alongside Katerina Siniakova at the French Open. Following that incredible triumph, she stated, “After I lost the first two (doubles) finals, I thought, well, okay, I reached that point, maybe I should focus on singles.” She found success when her expectations were at their lowest! But due to a lack of appearances at the doubles event in the next few months, Gauff has now dropped to 183rd position in the rankings. However, partnering with her compatriot, McCartney Kessler, Gauff recently managed to clinch the title at the 2025 Canadian Open.

They defeated Taylor Townsend and China’s Zhang Shuai in the final by 6-4,1-6,13-11. Following this incredible triumph, Coco Gauff sent a heartfelt message to both Kessler and her opponents. Speaking about her doubles partner, she said, “I’d like to thank McCartney for teaming up with me this week and being so clutch. Just two tiebreakers back to back, she saved the day. So, I appreciated that.” Later on while sharing her thoughts about the new world number one in doubles, Taylor Townsend and her partner Zhang Shuai, she added, “Congratulations to Taylor (Townsend) and (Zhang) Shuai, individually, both are amazing people and amazing players, and have been at the top of the game, and I love you guys. So, thank you for a great match.“

Coco Gauff shares a very strong bond with Taylor Townsend. Earlier this year, when Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova won the doubles title at the 2025 AO, she congratulated them through a social media post with the caption, “Yesss girlsss @tay_taytownsend @siniakovakaterina.“

Later on, when Taylor Townsend secured the top spot in the doubles ranking, Coco Gauff was among the first ones to congratulate her on her success. In a pre-tournament interview in Montreal, Gauff said, “Yeah, it’s super cool. Well, I’ve known Taylor for a long, long time and I always root for her, and uh I was really happy to see. I’ve always considered her, um, one of the best doubles players, probably right there with Siniakova, like the best on tour. So, it’s great to see that ranking kind of match where, um, I think a lot of players see her as.” Having said that, she wished Townsend would stay at the top for a long time.

Further cementing their strong camaraderie, in 2023, when Coco Gauff won her maiden Grand Slam title (US Open), Townsend expressed her emotions through a social media post, highlighting her pride for the youngster.

Following her title triumph in the doubles event of the Canadian Open, Gauff is now all set to start her campaign at the Cincinnati Open. Can she make a strong comeback in the singles event with an impressive start at her next tournament? Time will tell!

Coco Gauff’s probable opponents at the 2025 Cincinnati Open

The unexpected outcome was her loss to Victoria Mboko in the R16 match at the Canadian Open. But that’s what makes tennis even more fascinating, and that’s how new superstars rise! Although Coco Gauff has a win-loss record of 33-11 this season, she has won just two matches since her Roland Garros triumph.

Just a few days ago, tennis legend Lindsay Davenport shared her thoughts on Gauff’s current situation and her prospects for the Cincinnati Open during a conversation on the Tennis Channel Live podcast. She said, “It’s not a perfect situation for her to be unhooked. I mean, the pressure’s off. She’s won her second major, but when you’ve won majors and your goal is to be number one in the world and to be the best, this is not okay. Yeah, I mean, Gauff could tell herself, ‘Oh, well, don’t worry, I just won Roland Garros’… That’s not how a champion’s mind works.“

She further added, “No question she is like, ‘Okay, I got to get better for the U.S. Open. It’s got to start now’. I’d imagine she’s back on the practice court today or tomorrow working on things to try and get some momentum in Cincy.” Coco Gauff won the title at Cincinatti in 2023, but last year she went down to Yulia Putintseva in her very first match. She has won six of her ten matches at this tournament, with just one of those wins coming outside of 2023.

Now, her probable opponents in this year’s Cincinnati Open, she’ll be starting her campaign against either Wang Xinyu or Emiliana Arango. If Gauff wins that match, she will probably face Dayana Yastremska in the next round. The American will be keen to take her revenge on the Ukrainian, especially after what happened at Wimbledon this year. Following that, Jelena Ostapenko will probably be her opponent in the fourth round, before setting up a heavyweight clash against either Elina Svitolina or Naomi Osaka in the QF.

If everything goes right, we could well see an all-American clash in the SF, as Jessica Pegula could be her major obstacle in securing a spot in the final. Suppose Coco Gauff overcomes this hurdle as well, then she’ll have to face either Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek to get her hands on the title. The road to title triumph looks arduous for Coco Gauff!