Coco Gauff’s thrilling fourth-round victory over Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open was a rollercoaster of emotions. After dropping the first set(which ended her consecutive-set streak), the 20-year-old displayed incredible resilience, storming back with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 performance to secure her place in the quarterfinals-her eight career Grand Slam QFs. However, amidst the jubilation, a wave of disappointment washed over Gauff, concerning her beloved app, TikTok.

For Gauff, who boasts over 750,000 followers on the platform and is a frequent user, the ban was a significant blow. Just moments after her victory, she turned to the cameras and scrawled “RIP TikTok USA” on the lens, a poignant tribute to the popular social media app that had been banned by the US Supreme Court earlier today. That’s not all!

The 20-year-old took to her Instagram story to show how much was she hurt. “I’m going through a lot right now 😔”, she said, with the images of the camera that she had signed. This wasn’t it!

In her next Instagram story, Coco Gauff shared a screenshot of TikTok’s error message, trying to open the app in Australia only to be met with the ban notice. “I don’t know why I thought since I’m in Australia this wouldn’t apply to me. Been on this app since Musical.ly shaking my head,” she wrote.

Earlier in the day, during post-match Gauff, who finds solace in TikTok, explained, “I honestly thought I’d be able to get away with it because I was in Australia. “I guess it’s something to do with my number. I don’t know. I have to do some research,” before calling for its reinstation, “Hopefully it comes back. It’s really sad. I love TikTok. It’s like an escape. I honestly do that before matches.”

Gauff, who ended the 2024 season with a win at the WTA Finals, began using TikTok when it was known as Musical.ly; prior to its acquisition by ByteDance in November 2017 and its merger with TikTok a year later. 2023 US Open champion has also added over 22.3 million likes on the platform and often participates in viral trends and connecting with her audience through engaging posts. Gauff also shared her thoughts on the app and called it a powerful tool for small businesses and creators.

“A great thing for a lot of small businesses in our country, and a lot of creators make money on it and have the chance to spread stories. Personally, me, a lot of great stories I’ve heard are from TikTok and connecting with people has been (through) TikTok. I hope it will stay, (but) obviously I don’t know all the security issues and things like that,” she said earlier during the Australian Open 2025. Interestingly, Coco Gauff isn’t the only WTA star who is reeling from the effects of the TikTok ban.

Defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who happens to be a Miami resident and TikTok enthusiast, also expressed her concerns. Sabalenka, who has more than 500,000 followers on the platform, even recreated one of her viral dance videos with fans on Rod Laver Arena following her opening-round victory last week. “This isn’t something we can control, but I hope they figure it out, because I love TikTok,” she said

Shifting focus back to Coco Gauff, while TikTok might occupy her thoughts off the court, the 20-year-old American is fully locked in on court with her sights set on another Grand Slam title—her first at Melbourne Park and second since the US Open triumph in 2023. But it doesn’t get easier as she faces Paula Badosa in quarters.

Coco Gauff and Paula Badosa lock horns in mouth-watering Quarterfinals showdown

Coco Gauff’s next opponent is Paula Badosa- the 11th seed who is already in to her best run at the Australian Open, making the quarterfinals for the first time after a commanding 6-1, 7-6(7/2) win over Serbia’s Olga Danilovic. This will be her first Grand Slam semifinal if she wins against Gauff after previously reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2021 and the US Open last year. And while the match has a lot at stake, both players have let their mutual respect known for each other ahead of the clash.

“I love Coco. I respect her a lot,” Badosa told reporters of the 20-year-old on Sunday. “She’s a great competitor. We always have tough matches.” 

Gauff echoed similar sentiments while analyzing Badosa’s game: “She’s [Badosa] a tough opponent. Every time I play her, it is going to be a tough match,” said Gauff. “She’s a great player, coming off some great momentum. Hopefully, I can play good tennis but I expect her to bring her best….She’s a great mover and can play aggressively. I think she’s an all-around player, complete player.”

As far as their head-to-head records are concerned, it stands at 3-3. Even though Gauff holds the edge, having won both of their encounters in 2024, each going to three grueling sets.

Coco Gauff or Paula Badosa might witness themselves standing against a monumental against-the-field challenge in semifinals: Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian top seed is currently cruising through Melbourne Park with the ease of a two-time defending champion, raising no signs of slowdown.

Sabalenka who brushed past Mirra Andreeva in a scorching 62-minute masterclass on Rod Laver Arena takes on Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in quarterfinals who disposed of Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-0), 6-0, with her sights set on yet another deep run.