By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday, May 17, 2025
While a tough defeat against Jasmine Paolini in the Rome final may seem discouraging, it could turn out to be a valuable experience for Coco Gauff.
In her 6-4, 6-2 match against the Italian player, Gauff racked up 55 unforced errors. Nevertheless, she’s made history by becoming the youngest player since 2009 to reach the finals in both Madrid and Rome. Gauff believes that the insights she gained from these tournaments could be the stepping stone to her first Roland-Garros title.
“It’s a mix of confidence and motivation to improve,” the 21-year-old stated following her loss at Foro Italico. “Hopefully, I’ll reach the Roland-Garros final again and maybe this time, ‘third time’s a charm’ will hold true.”
Having triumphed over Zheng Qinwen in a thrilling semifinal, Gauff acknowledges her defeats but doesn’t dwell on them excessively.
“In the end, I lost to two superb opponents: Aryna in Madrid and Jasmine here. There’s definitely room for improvement,” she expressed.
Thank you, Rome ❤️🥲 I’ll come back stronger pic.twitter.com/lOfLG8zwsR
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) May 17, 2025
Statistics show that Gauff accumulated 137 unforced errors in her last two matches. She views this as an opportunity for improvement as she heads to Paris.
“I still made it to the finals despite those errors,” she remarked. “It gives me confidence that if I can find my best form heading into Roland-Garros, I can make an impact.”
With an 11-3 record on clay in 2025 and a lifetime 20-5 record at Roland-Garros, where she reached the finals in 2022 and the semifinals in 2024, Gauff has plenty to build on.
The determined Florida native aimed to play aggressively against Paolini to counter her style. However, Gauff has faced defeats in both her encounters with the Italian on European clay this year, marking a significant moment as Paolini became the first woman from Italy to win the Rome title in four decades.
“I knew I needed to play aggressively today, but it didn’t work out as planned. I didn’t want her to control the pace of the match,” Gauff admitted.
