Coco Gauff at the Madrid Masters
With her win over Ann Li at the 2025 Madrid Masters, Coco Gauff has become just the fifth player aged 21 or younger to reach 25 or more Round of 16 appearances at WTA 1000/Tier One events.
Gauff delivered a confident performance, defeating Li 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the third round.
“I played better today,” Gauff said on court. “I was more comfortable and tried to be more aggressive while playing with margin.”
Her comments referenced the struggles of her opening match, where she had to battle back from a disastrous first set to eventually beat Dayana Yastremska 0-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Now ranked No 4 in the world, Gauff joins elite company: Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis, Caroline Wozniacki, and Svetlana Kuznetsova are the only other players to achieve this feat at her age.
Gauff’s journey to this milestone began at the 2021 Dubai event, where she reached her first Round of 16 before falling to Jil Teichmann in the quarterfinals.
Next up in Madrid, Gauff will face former US Open champion Belinda Bencic, who edged out Beatriz Haddad Maia in a dramatic third-set tiebreak.
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“Striving for perfection has helped me, but it can also be a downside. I’m learning to balance it and stay positive through losses. Every tournament is a new opportunity.”
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