WUHAN, CHINA - OCTOBER 08: Coco Gauff of United States reacts in the Women s Singles Round of 32 match against Moyuka Uchijima of Japan on day 5 of 2025 Wuhan Open at Optics Valley International Tennis Center on October 8, 2025 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxCHN Copyright: xVCGx 111595888867
WUHAN, CHINA - OCTOBER 08: Coco Gauff of United States reacts in the Women s Singles Round of 32 match against Moyuka Uchijima of Japan on day 5 of 2025 Wuhan Open at Optics Valley International Tennis Center on October 8, 2025 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxCHN Copyright: xVCGx 111595888867
Winning a game while battling a physical setback isn’t for the weak. And Coco Gauff really went above and beyond that.
The 22-year-old just advanced to the round of 16 in the Madrid Open, handing Sorana Cirstea a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 defeat. However, Cirstea wasn’t the only opponent Gauff had to defeat, and winning over a stomach infection was even harder.
“I don’t know how I got it done”, admitted the American post-match. “It was just a tough match. I think I got the Madrid virus, that's going around, and I'm usually someone who doesn't get sick. So, I don't know what, my luck today just wasn't good.”
If dropping the opening set wasn’t bad enough, Gauff vomited mid-second set on court, threw up again after the first set, and vomited a third time during the match. The whole time, she was “trying to keep (her) food down.”
It was a golden chance for Cirstea to get back at Gauff, after losing to the American in both of their previous meetings. But soon enough, Gauff fired back, recovering from a break down on three occasions and hitting it home with 7-5.
So, Gauff’s victory came from defeating Cirstea and the stomach virus. However, a victorious Gauff opened up about yet another challenge.
The Third Roadblock Towards Victory
The no. 25 seed as an opponent, a set-drop, and an exhaustive stomach virus; as Gauff said, bad luck manifested in all the ways. To top that, she had to comply with something with which she barely has any “chemistry.”
“I mean, just the falling again, another finger is bleeding today. This is from my first match. So just a lot of falling,” said Gauff about playing on Clay, pointing at her finger cuts. “But honestly, the Clay may have helped me today.”
The points weren’t rising, and the balls were slower. But due to the clay, “it bounced higher.” Which ultimately gave her “more time to kind of get to some balls when (she) wasn't moving (her) best.” For the next game, Gauff is set to take on Linda Noskova.
So, do you think Gauff will return victorious from her next battle as well? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by
Deblina Roy
Edited by
Souvik Roy