“Much has happened since then,” Coco Gauff gets Donna Vekic’s rematch at the United Cup after the last time ended in tears
Coco Gauff says she's looking forward to meeting Donna Vekic for the second time in her career at the United Cup.
Follow Us
Coco Gauff and Donna Vekic (via TODAY/Yahoo Sports)
Coco Gauff enjoyed an excellent run of form at the end of the 2024 season. However, one of the biggest losses Gauff will never forget was against Donna Vekic in the third round of the Paris Olympics. The American will face the Croatian star for a rematch at the United Cup in Perth.
The Olympic loss left Gauff in tears after a controversial call from the chair umpire. This happened during a break point in the second set when Vekic returned Gauff’s serve, and the former’s shot landed near the baseline. A line judge called the shot out of bounds, but it was actually in. However, because it was called out, Gauff did not keep it in play as she hit it into the net.
But the chair umpire awarded Vekic the points as he explained that the “out” call shouldn’t have affected Gauff’s swing. The 20-year-old was visibly upset and was seen pleading her case to the extent she broke down in tears. The ‘unfair’ ruling led her to lose the match 7-6(7), 6-2. However, they will be facing each other for a rematch at the United Cup which starts on December 31.
Gauff will represent Team USA and Vekic will play for Team Croatia after both countries were drawn in Group A of the tournament. During a recent interview, Gauff revealed that much has happened since then, but she looks forward to their meeting.
So much has happened since then. I think, in tennis in general, I’m just so used to moving on. You have no time to dwell on our sport: you lose one week, and most times, you have to play again two or three days later. So, I think it’s something that I’m used to, but looking forward to. And obviously, I played her on clay, and this would be hard [court], so it will be a little bit different.
Coco Gauff said via The Age
Besides the match against Vekic, Gauff will also play World No. 31 Leylah Fernandez in a singles match in Group A. If Team USA progresses, she might face Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini in the later stages.
Coco Gauff says winning the Australian Open is her ultimate dream
Coco Gauff ended the 2024 season without a Grand Slam title. The World No. 3 won three titles, including the ATP Finals, but two of them came in the second half of the season. She’s now focused on winning the 2025 Australian Open. Her best run at the event was in January this year when she lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.
During the aforementioned interview, she revealed that winning the Melbourne Grand Slam is her ultimate dream. The 20-year-old added that she has a new philosophy going into the next season.
So, that would be the ultimate dream I guess, to do that at the start of the year, but I think for me, my approach I guess is stay in the moment and focusing on the process and hoping the results come … maybe not putting so much weight on wins and losses, which is something I’ve done in the past.
Coco Gauff said
Gauff is one of the favorites to win the title after earning a career-high win of 54 in a calendar year. She will hope to continue with the momentum and strengthen key areas of her game.
Stay Updated!
Victor Okechukwu
(719 Articles Published)