ROME, ITALY — Third-seeded Coco Gauff continues her campaign on the European clay courts, advancing to the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia after a hard-fought victory over Czech teenager Tereza Valentova. On Thursday, May 7, 2026, the 22-year-old American tennis star secured a 6-3, 6-4 win at the Foro Italico. The match, which lasted 1 hour and 34 minutes, not only marked a solid step forward in her 2026 season but also set the stage for reflections on her physical endurance, her relationship with her fans, and even her eye for high fashion across the globe.
A Tactical Battle Against Tereza Valentova
Gauff’s victory against Valentova showcased her resilience and tactical adaptability. The win secured her 18th career match victory at the Foro Italico, establishing a new career-best total for her at a WTA Tour event outside of the four Grand Slams. This triumph improved Gauff’s impressive season record to 20 wins in 28 matches and pushed her head-to-head record against the Czech player to 2-0, following their previous encounter at Roland Garros last spring.
Despite the straight-sets victory, the match was highly competitive. Gauff utilized six breaks of serve to control the tempo of the contest, which was crucial given Valentova’s unrelenting pressure. The Czech teenager forced Gauff to earn nearly every hold, saving six of the 10 break points she faced. Nevertheless, Gauff ultimately won more than 60 percent of the points played during Valentova’s service games and finished with a 75 to 58 advantage in total points.
The first set saw Gauff assert early dominance, quickly winning four consecutive games before closing out the opening frame. However, the scoreline tightened considerably in the second set. Following two marathon service games, Valentova managed to level the score at 3-3 and later at 4-4, refusing to back down. Gauff then found an extra gear, capturing the final two games to seal the match.
Interestingly, the statistical breakdown of the match revealed that Valentova actually recorded more winners than Gauff, outhitting her 17 to 15. The teenager also committed slightly fewer unforced errors, with 27 compared to Gauff’s 29. Ultimately, Gauff’s ability to execute late-stage holds and break patterns proved to be the difference-maker.
Gauff praised her opponent’s development since their last meeting, referring to Valentova as “super talented” and noting that she had “definitely stepped up her level.”
“A lot of things I thought she would do she didn’t do, which I guess makes sense because last year didn’t go so well [for her],” Gauff explained. “There were some changes, but I think that just goes with improvement.”
Importantly, this victory allowed Gauff to snap a recent string of difficult losses against younger players. Although she boasts a strong 15-4 career record against younger opponents, she had dropped her previous two matches to that demographic, suffering a retirement loss to Alexandra Eala in Indian Wells and a defeat to Linda Noskova in Madrid.
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Serving Struggles and Altitude Adjustments
While the scoreboard reflected a straight-sets win, Gauff was candid about the difficulties she faced with her service game. She recorded seven double faults during the match, compared to just one from Valentova, and found herself frequently on the defensive.
“I felt like I was having to try so hard to hit big serves,” Gauff admitted during her post-match press conference. “I missed some because she was pressuring my serve.”
Transitioning from the high altitude of the Madrid Open to the conditions in Rome presented a unique set of technical hurdles for the third seed. Gauff indicated that she might need to make equipment adjustments, specifically suggesting, “I think I need to lower my tension.”
Despite these challenges, Gauff found a silver lining in her secondary deliveries. “I thought my kick and my second serve was big,” she noted. She emphasized her desire to regain the dominant serving form she displayed during her run in Spain, where she recently hit a personal season-high of 13 aces against Linda Noskova.
“I definitely think Madrid is how I would like to serve,” Gauff explained. “I’m just trying to carry that over from Madrid to here, but it’s different conditions. The altitude isn’t maybe helping me as much. For me, it’s just trying to keep that serving momentum I had in Madrid.”
Physical Recovery and Eyes on Roland Garros
In a separate interview with Tennis Channel, Gauff discussed the physical toll of her recent schedule. She revealed that a severe illness had significantly impacted her performance during the Madrid Open.
“Last week I was feeling good on the court, then I got sick. I was able to fight through that, but feel it depleted a little bit,” Gauff shared. She confessed that she had heavily considered retiring during her match in Madrid but ultimately decided to push through because she had already retired from a match earlier this year at Indian Wells.
“I was thinking about it, honestly, but I just did it in Indian Wells, and didn’t want it to be another tournament doing that, so I was just trying to finish it,” she said. “I don’t know what happened, but one game turned into another, and I found myself past the finish line. It was an emotional match, though, because I never felt physically spent on the court; it’s not often I feel like that, so it was a weird feeling for me.”
Fortunately, Gauff is now feeling fully recovered as she advances through the draw in Rome. “I feel great now, I definitely think I was heading in the right direction, in Madrid,” she stated, adding that she feels “very comfortable moving on [clay], sliding, things like that. I like to do it.”
Looking ahead, Gauff’s next challenge will be unseeded Argentine Solana Sierra in the third round. Sierra advanced by defeating former finalist Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. Beyond Rome, Gauff has her sights firmly set on the French Open. She noted that she feels less pressure during the lead-up tournaments because Roland Garros is a venue where she traditionally performs well.
“But it feels great to enter Roland Garros after making a final, so I would like to maybe do that again,” she remarked, hoping to find her peak groove during this part of the swing. Relying on past experiences, including her title defense at the US Open, Gauff feels mentally prepared. “Your body experiences something before, it knows how to react, and you train your mind.”
Pleading with Fans: The End of ‘Team Coachella’
While Gauff has been entirely focused on her singles career in Rome this year—opting not to enter the doubles draw—memories of her 2025 doubles campaign at the Italian Open recently resurfaced. Last year, Gauff teamed up with Alexandra Eala for a highly successful partnership that took them all the way to the quarter-finals.
Their off-court chemistry and happy-go-lucky energy prompted fans to affectionately dub the duo ‘Team Coachella.’ However, it turns out Gauff was not a fan of the moniker.
In a resurfaced joint social media message to their supporters, the pair addressed the nickname directly. Eala began by saying, “Hi everybody, it’s Alex and Coco here. Thank you so much for all the support that you’ve been giving us this week, and hopefully in our next match, a lot of you will come out and watch.”
Gauff echoed the gratitude but quickly set the record straight: “Thank you guys for all the support. Super happy to be playing with Alex and hope you guys keep supporting us. And we don’t like Team Coachella, so pick a new name.”
Gauff originally formed the partnership by sliding into Eala’s direct messages. “I was just hoping she would be nice, and you know, obviously she’s such a nice person. And obviously she’s a killer in doubles,” Gauff previously stated. Though they haven’t played doubles together since Rome 2025, the two have faced off in singles in 2026, with Gauff taking the win at the Dubai Tennis Championships and Eala claiming victory at Indian Wells.
Met Gala 2026: Gauff’s Top Fashion Picks
As Gauff handles the pressures of the WTA Tour in Italy, she still managed to keep an eye on the world of high fashion. With the 2026 Met Gala taking place in New York City, Gauff was fast asleep in Rome when the stars hit the red carpet for the “Fashion is Art” themed event. However, she was quick to review the looks the following morning.
The WTA Tour was brilliantly represented at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Venus Williams served as a co-chair for the prestigious fundraising event alongside Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Anna Wintour. Williams dazzled in a custom crystal black gown by Swarovski, accented by a Wimbledon-inspired neck plate full of pearls. Serena Williams also stunned in a head-to-toe silver asymmetrical gown and shoes designed by Marc Jacobs, while Naomi Osaka—who is also competing in Rome—wore a sculpted ivory coat featuring red feathers, exposed red crystals, and a matching oversized wide-brimmed hat.
“I really liked Emma Chamberlain’s look. Hers was cool,” said Gauff, who herself graced the cover of Vogue in 2024. “Serena and Venus, obviously Naomi. I got to get the tennis girls. They all looked great. Who was my favorite? I really liked Wisdom Kaye. He’s a fashion influencer. Ciara, too.”
Gauff wasn’t the only player in Rome keeping up with the Met Gala. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka shared that the fashion showcase was a major topic of conversation among the players. “I love it,” Sabalenka told reporters. “We were chatting with girls [and saying] that we’re going to go back home and go through the looks because we were just having fun. So many cool [stories] behind the outfits. All of them were stunning.”
As Coco Gauff prepares for her upcoming round-of-32 match against Solana Sierra, her ability to balance the fierce demands of professional tennis, engage authentically with her fanbase, and celebrate the cultural moments happening off the court proves exactly why she remains one of the sport’s most compelling figures.
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