Coco Gauff has finally extracted the best of her formidable form on the tour. Having endured a rough patch in recent months, wherein she suffered back-to-back losses to lower-ranked players, the American is back on a roll once again. Moreover, the young talent’s footing in the ranking column is now closing in to be on par with her Belarusian rival, Aryna Sabalenka. However, her countrywoman and ex-doubles partner Jessica Pegula won’t be all smiles with the latest update.

Gauff had a rollercoaster of a run this season. The American sensation was all smiles when she was drafted into the US tennis team for the Paris Olympics. Moreover, she also became the flag-bearer along with basketball legend LeBron James. However, things went south really quickly for her. Not only did her Olympic campaign not pan out, Gauff’s title defense in Cincinnati and New York ended prematurely. This, in turn, led to a significant drop in her WTA ranking.

Hoping to remedy issues with her error-prone serve, the 20-year-old parted ways with ex-coach Brad Gilbert. The American embraced brand new tutelage under grip correction specialist Matt Daly. Now, it looks like the changes to her coaching team are paying off. Despite much hue and cry surrounding her inconsistent form, Gauff shut naysayers by bagging the China Open. While her Asian hard court swing bore fruition, the 2023 US Open champion took one step further and concluded her Wuhan campaign on a modest note – losing to Sabalenka in the last four. Subsequently, her recent string of triumphs aptly reflected on her ranking points.

The American star has now moved up one spot in the WTA charts, switching places with compatriot Pegula to assume the World No. 3 spot and bringing her a step closer to assuming Sabalenka’s No. 2 rank. While the Belarusian’s ranking has remained unfazed, her ranking points difference with Iga Swiatek is thinning by the minute as she gears up to snatch the top spot in the WTA.

Showcasing her athletic prowess in Wuhan, Gauff overcame the shadow of her former self. That was only until she found herself trapped in troubled waters over her problematic serve executions. Naturally, firing 21 doubles faults in a match hardly seems like the right way. Consequently, the former World No. 1 reserved a few words on her performance after bowing out 26-year-old Sabalenka in China.

Coco Gauff tries ‘new things’ amid serving woes in Wuhan

American superstar Coco Gauff’s serve heavily misfired during her encounter against Aryna Sabalenka in Wuhan. She set a record for the highest double faults hit during her career singles contest (21), Gauff earlier picked up 18 DF while battling Emma Navarro at the US Open. Not a pretty sight, indeed, but the American has been trying new things with coach Matt Daly.

While talking in a post-match presser in Wuhan after Sabalenka candidly addressed her struggles. The 20-year-old noted that certain tweaks have come into effect to cure her serve fatalities. Moreover, the young talent confirmed having merely a week to adjust to the new serve motion before her campaign earlier in Beijing. “Working on a new thing. It’s expected. I only had a week to learn it, then I went to Beijing. Knew it wasn’t going to be great. I’m surprised at how well I was able to do with it. We weren’t expecting it.”

Next up, the American will probably rest and aim at capitalizing on her strengths before resuming her adventures on the tour. Gauff will next take to the courts at the WTA Finals in Abu Dhabi, where she will look to conclude the season on a triumphant note.