“Definitely takes some pressure off”: Coco Gauff smiles through pressure after Paolini win

Coco Gauff commented on her victory in the WTA Finals second match against Jasmine Paolini, winning 6-3, 6-2. The defending champion remains alive after her opening loss to Jessica Pegula in three sets, and will have to define her qualification in the final match day against Aryna Sabalenka.

The emphatic win undoubtedly gives Gauff a certain margin of error. She temporarily sits in third place, but is effectively second in the Steffi Graf Group after Sabalenka’s victory over Pegula. The 2-time Grand Slam champion was pleased with the win, where, despite not playing her absolute best tennis, she largely defeated Paolini.

Gauff performed better than her rival in key moments, saving 4/5 break points while converting 4/7 opportunities to break her rival. There was a total of 70 unforced errors between the two (30 for Gauff and 40 for Paolini), meaning errors from both sides accounted for nearly 65% of the points played.

After the match, Gauff spoke with Tennis Channel, referring to how she managed to pull out a win in a match where errors were constant from both sides. "I don’t know—I just try to give myself the best chance to win," commented the 21-year-old American. "I felt like in my last match I wasn’t very positive, so I was just trying not to let that be a repeat today."

Gauff is making her 4th consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals, having won the title in 2023. She now holds a 7-7 record at the Finals and is seeking to defend her title, a feat no player has achieved since Serena Williams between 2012-2014. Since the early 2000s, only Kim Clijsters (2002-2003) and Justine Henin (2006-2007) join Williams in achieving this feat.

One of the topics Gauff addressed was precisely the pressure of defending the title. During the interview, the American mentioned how difficult it is to defend the Finals title, citing that few players have succeeded. "I think knowing that no one has defended it in however many years definitely takes some pressure off," she admitted. "And honestly, you’re playing the top eight in the world—this round-robin format is so hard."

The American arrived with the mission of defending a significant amount of points as the defending champion, with a lead of about 600 points over World No. 4 Amanda Anisimova—who is participating for the first time and therefore defending no points on this occasion.

The 21-year-old was under pressure to win this Tuesday against Paolini—after being defeated in her debut in three sets against Pegula. A loss would have resulted in her early elimination. "I’m used to, like, when I lose, soaking in bed for a few days, so having to come back and play another match right away is so unique. So yeah, I’m just happy I was able [to win]."

Now Gauff's next challenge will be against Sabalenka on the final match day, while questions remain regarding who will qualify. Although the World No. 1 currently leads the group, if Gauff manages to defeat Sabalenka in straight sets (and Pegula also defeats Paolini), the set and game differential will be used to determine which players advance to the semi-finals (and in which positions).

The 2025 French Open champion also referred to her Halloween costume from a few days ago. Although she had to be away from home this year in Riyadh, Gauff did not miss the opportunity to share her costume for the occasion on social media.

After several ideas, Gauff finally chose to dress up as Freddy Krueger, the character from the A Nightmare on Elm Street film saga. "There were a few ideas. I wanted to be Starfire, maybe Dexter—there were a few options,” she mentioned with a smile. “But next year I saw on the calendar that the WTA Finals start on November 7th, so I think I’ll be home for Halloween. I already have a list of like 15 costumes to choose from!"