Coco Gauff stepped into the One Point Slam with her serve under the microscope again.

That familiar net cord whispering doubts after a shaky start to 2026. But its true like even top pros like her have off days. But the silver lining she wasn't the only one chuckling through the flop.​

Right after that missed serve knocked her out against Donna Vekic, Gauff tweeted: "I feel better about missing my serve now that Jannick and Foe did  #NotAlone."

And yeah, she's right on that, Jannik Sinner and Fabio Fognini had their own hilarious whiffs in the event, turning a potential ego bruise into a shared pro meme moment.​ And an amateur took the money.

That missed shot stings extra because the stakes were straight cash. $1 million on the line for the winner, no take-backs, with just one serve allowed after her bye to round two. 

Vekic advanced to the semis before falling to Joanna Garland, who chased that payday, while Gauff walked away empty-handed right before the real AO grind.​

Coco Gauff's Tight Serve Showdown

Gauff got the "serve" call after losing rock-paper-scissors to Vekic. She was ramping up the one-and-done pressure in front of a hyped crowd.

Also, she'd admitted pre-match, "I’m just ready to get it out of the way,". Also added that  "I’m not nervous because I don’t think I’m going to win, but I just don’t want to perform bad."

And then hit the first serve drills into the net. 

Later, "I was too tight!" she laughed post-match, both cracking up with Vekic like old pals.​

But it's the story of her serve lately. As 431 doubles in 2025, topping the WTA by 131, and already 28 in early 2026. She's got the athleticism, hired a biomechanics whiz Gavin MacMillan like Sabalenka did. But those keep costing breaks and big checks. 

Which reminds AO lost to Badosa last year? Serve ghosts. Deep run this month means taming it fast, or it's another close call.

Written by

Ishika Ghosh

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu