Coco Gauff makes ‘pretty crazy’ admission after emulating four tennis legends with latest victory
Coco Gauff has joined an elite group of players who have started a tennis season with nine consecutive wins for three consecutive years. The 20-year-old secured her place on this prestigious list after defeating Belinda Bencic in the fourth round of the Australian Open, marking her ninth singles win of 2025.
Gauff began the year with a 5-0 record, leading the United States to victory in the United Cup, and has since added four wins at the Australian Open. In 2024, she also started her season on fire with a 10-0 record, successfully defending her Auckland Open title before reaching the semifinals in Melbourne, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka. Similarly, in 2023, Gauff won the Auckland Open and then made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open before falling to Jelena Ostapenko.
The only other players in the Open Era to achieve the feat of starting three consecutive seasons with at least nine straight wins are legends Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, and Serena Williams.
Reflecting on being mentioned alongside such greats, Gauff said, “It’s pretty crazy to be among the same stat line as legends, and I’m very grateful. We worked hard in the off-season. There’s still a long way to go to achieve my goals, but I’m proud of myself and how I’ve performed.”
Gauff also spoke about how she’s developed resilience, particularly when losing the first set. “A couple of years ago, I had a bad habit of losing the first set and then the match. My dad told me, ‘You have to get some fight in you,’ and now I always remember that and dig deeper,” she said, referencing her match against Bencic, where she dropped a set for the first time this season before coming back to win 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.
Gauff now faces Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals, with a potential semifinal showdown against two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka looming. Reflecting on her victory over Bencic, she added, “When I lost the first set, I knew I was playing too passive. I had to adjust, play more aggressively, and be okay with making more unforced errors, knowing the rewards would come later.”
