Relentless Coco Gauff Earns Rare Serena Williams Milestone at Indian Wells While Overcoming Adversity

Coco Gauff Continues to Mirror Serena Williams with Another Milestone at Indian Wells

It’s becoming harder to ignore the parallels between Coco Gauff and Serena Williams as the young American continues to replicate milestones set by the 23-time Grand Slam champion. When Gauff won the US Open in 2023, she became the first American teenager since Serena in 1999 to claim the title at Flushing Meadows. A year later, she became the first American woman to win the WTA Finals since 2014—and, once again, the last to do so was Serena Williams.

Now, Gauff has added another Serena-esque feat to her resume at Indian Wells.

A Rare Indian Wells Achievement

During a recent episode of the Tennis Channel Live podcast (March 12), tennis insider Steve Weissman highlighted Gauff’s latest milestone at the BNP Paribas Open. By reaching the fourth round (R16) for the third consecutive year, the World No. 3 became the youngest American woman to achieve this since Serena Williams between 1999 and 2001.

Gauff’s most recent victory, a 7-6(1), 6-1 win over Maria Sakkari, was particularly significant. Not only did she avenge last season’s Indian Wells quarterfinal defeat to the Greek star, but she also displayed her ability to raise her level in crucial moments.

Praise from Former WTA Pro Coco Vandeweghe

Former WTA player Coco Vandeweghe weighed in on Gauff’s performance, acknowledging her grit and mental fortitude.

“Coco Gauff is one of the tougher players out here to play,” Vandeweghe remarked. “Both of these women are two of the best athletes that we have on tour.”

She particularly highlighted Gauff’s resilience in the first-set tiebreak, where she fought back despite initially trailing. “Just fighting against the adversity and really working hard to be able to weather the storm out here when it comes to her service games,” Vandeweghe added.

Gauff’s serve, which has been an area of concern, showed improvement as well. After struggling with 21 double faults in her opening-round win over Moyuka Uchijima, she cut that number down to nine against Sakkari.

The Perfectionist Mindset

Despite her success, Gauff continues to hold herself to the highest standards. Reflecting on her performance against Uchijima, she admitted:

“Yeah, it was a tough match. I didn’t play as well as I would like to, but full credit to her. She stepped it up when she needed to.”

Acknowledging her serving struggles, she added:

“I think if I just double-faulted less, it could have probably been a straight-set match.”

After defeating Sakkari, she remained self-critical, saying:

“Except for the last game, I thought I played a great match. Just trying to look at the positives. Obviously, I was a bit disappointed with the last game, but that’s just the perfectionist in me.”

Gauff Eyes a Title That Serena Has Won Twice

Gauff has been steadily building her legacy, but one thing still eludes her at Indian Wells—a title. Serena Williams won this tournament twice (1999, 2001), and Gauff seems determined to follow in her idol’s footsteps.

Her next challenge? A rematch of January’s Australian Open fourth round against Belinda Bencic. The Swiss star has been in top form, winning three straight matches in Indian Wells, including victories over Tatjana Maria, Amanda Anisimova, and Diana Schnaider.

With Gauff holding a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head record, all eyes will be on whether she can continue her dominant run and take another step toward lifting her first Indian Wells trophy.

Can Gauff extend her Serena-like streak and capture the title in the desert? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!