Coco Gauff Loses Cool over Never-Before-Seen Error During Italian Open Match Against Mirra Andreeva

Coco Gauff is in the semifinals of the Italian Open. On Tuesday (March 12), the American ace came from a set down to knock out Mirra Andreeva 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

Prior to her win over Andreeva, Gauff survived a scare in the fourth round clash with countrywoman Iva Jovic, against whom she saved a match point in the second set. During her match against the Russian, Gauff made an unprecedented error in the third set. Leading 3-1, Gauff served, but the ball, instead of bouncing off the clay, landed in the stands. Gauff looked greatly frustrated after committing this blunder.

Watch the video here:

pic.twitter.com/FvkF0h3wMs

— Owen (@kostekcanu) May 12, 2026

Gauff, in fact, almost squandered a 5-1 lead in the final set. She needed five match points to win the match and improve her head-to-head record over the teenager to a perfect 5-0.

Honestly, it was tough. When you have a lead, you know she can play incredible tennis at any moment. But I also thought that in the previous round, I saved a match point, so easily I could not be here today. I just tried to appreciate the fact that I’m still here, even when match points weren’t going my way. I think that showed in my reaction every time I lost them.

Coco Gauff said at the press conference

The two-time Grand Slam singles champion is chasing her fourth WTA 1000 singles title of her career. The last time she won a title at this level was at the 2025 Wuhan Open. It was, in fact, the last time she clinched a title.

I was just trying to stay mentally strong again. I had a big lead in the third set, but she was closing in on me. I learned a bit about how to try to close out these matches, and I’m glad I could win.

Coco Gauff added

Gauff has so far played just one final this year. She progressed to the Miami Open title clash for the first time but failed to go past World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who completed the Sunshine Double with this win.

Coco Gauff’s love-hate relationship with conditions at the Italian Open

Coco Gauff is set to face an opponent who was the reason behind Aryna Sabalenka’s third-round defeat. It’s Sorana Cirstea, the Romanian ace, who also defeated 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the previous round.

Gauff will be playing the Italian Open final for the fourth time and third consecutive time. She was, in fact, the runner-up in last year’s Rome event, losing to home favorite Jasmine Paolini. At the press conference after her latest win, Gauff talked about her love-hate relationship with the conditions in Rome.

It’s tough, for sure. I think it benefits me. Although sometimes it also hinders me because, I don’t know, when the balls got heavier, I struggled quite a bit. There was a game where I felt I couldn’t deepen the return. In the end, I won that game, but I felt like I couldn’t get the return deep enough, and she was killing me with short balls. So, for me, it’s sometimes a double-edged sword.

Last year on the clay swing, Gauff played three finals. Before her Italian Open defeat, Gauff lost to Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final. But she took her revenge on the four-time Grand Slam singles champion with a three-set win in the French Open final.

Gauff holds a 3-0 head-to-head lead over Cirstea. The upcoming match will be their third clash this season, following the fourth round of the Miami Open and the third round of the Madrid Open.

Also read: Alexander Zverev Slams Court Conditions in Fiery Presser After Italian Open Exit