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Coco Gauff‘s troubles continue to mount. Last month, the American star suffered a shocking first-round exit at Wimbledon, losing to Dayana Yastremska in straight sets (7-6(3), 6-1). That loss crushed her hopes of claiming a Channel Slam this year. Still, Gauff fought hard in Montreal. Despite making a staggering 23 double faults in her opening match against Collins, she bounced back by racing past Kudermetova. Yet her run was cut short when No. 85 Victoria Mboko handed her a 1-6, 4-6 defeat. Now, the path looks wide open for Iga Swiatek!

After Swiatek’s Wimbledon win shook the tennis world, she’s been climbing fast at the Canadian Open. Though she briefly dropped out of the WTA top five, she quickly surged past Jessica Pegula to secure the No. 3 spot. Adding to that, Aryna Sabalenka’s withdrawal from Montreal to rest after a grueling season has handed Swiatek a golden opportunity to climb even higher in the rankings.

On Saturday, Coco Gauff missed her chance to reach the quarterfinals in Canada. Meanwhile, Swiatek now faces Clara Tauson in the Round of 16. If the Pole advances, things could get very tricky for Gauff. The points race is heating up, and every match counts!

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Currently, live rankings show  Gauff holding 7,789 points. But come Monday, she’ll lose 120 points, dropping to 7,669. Swiatek, on the other hand, won’t lose a single point. That means the gap between them could shrink to just 736 points in the worst-case scenario. Every victory Swiatek claws out in Montreal pulls her closer to that coveted No. 2 spot.

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And what if Iga Swiatek takes the National Bank Open title? She’ll leap right behind Sabalenka, who faces a massive challenge defending 3,000 points in Cincinnati and the US Open. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

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It’s a massive surge for Swiatek. But for Coco Gauff? This only raises the challenge of overtaking Aryna and reaching No. 1 for the first time. The clock is ticking, the pressure’s mounting, and the rankings race is more thrilling than ever! But will Gauff overcome her errors from this tournament before she heads off into the next?

On August 1, Gauff gave fans an honest look into her mindset during a press conference, saying, “There are positives and there are negatives. I mean, obviously, I am like so disappointed in myself when it comes to that part of the game, just because I didn’t play DC to work on that and make changes to that, and doing well in practice and serving really well in practice. So, I just would like for it to transfer to the match. And you know, it does give positives, that okay, like I’m not winning these matches having literally like one part of my game on a crutch. So, it’s like if I can stand on both feet, then I can only imagine that it’ll be a lot more straightforward and a lot more easier for me.” She knows fixing these issues would make winning feel almost effortless—and she’s close to finding that winning combo.

But don’t get it twisted—chasing the No. 1 ranking isn’t what drives Coco. For her, it’s not about where she lands in the standings. She’s all about capturing the sport’s biggest trophies, and that fire shines through every time she steps on court.

What’s your perspective on:

Can Coco Gauff bounce back, or is Iga Swiatek destined to dominate the rankings race?

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Coco Gauff makes an honest admission about being World No.1

Gauff’s 2025 campaign has been anything but boring. The American sensation climbed to world No. 2 thanks to a blend of fierce consistency and some sparkling big-match victories. But this summer, she got real about her priorities.

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During the Italian Open, Gauff was clear—being No. 1 isn’t at the top of her bucket list. “It’s not really that much in my mind because I just want another slam, so honestly, it’s not something that I think about. But honestly, it’s something I want to touch in my career and maintain, too. So, yeah, it’s definitely something that I want to do. But it’s not fully in my mind; I’d rather take away some more trophies, Slam trophies. But that obviously will come if I can win,” she told Tennis Channel.

Behind those words is a stat sheet every player envies. Now, two months later, Gauff notched 31 wins against just 10 losses and added another singles trophy to her ever-growing collection. She helped Team USA snatch the United Cup, blazed to a French Open title, and made waves reaching the late stages of WTA 1000s like the Madrid Open and Italian Open. Her secret? Delivering in clutch moments and racking up wins over fellow top-tier opponents.

Right now, the Montreal sunshine isn’t shining on Coco—she’s out of the Canadian Open after a wild string of matches filled with drama and more double faults than she’d care to count. Still, the tennis train rolls on. Cincinnati is up next, and Gauff’s already playing the long game, sitting out the DC Open to save her energy for what matters most.

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All eyes turn to New York, the scene of her breakthrough Grand Slam win. With her laser focus—and the wisdom to balance rest, readiness, and serious ambition—could she bag her second Slam of the year? Drop your thoughts in the comments below

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Can Coco Gauff bounce back, or is Iga Swiatek destined to dominate the rankings race?

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