"I was just like Bro why do I do this?": When Coco Gauff's solo adventure turned into regret

Coco Gauff’s Cincinnati Open quarterfinal run has come with a little extra downtime — and she’s made the most of it. After receiving a walkover in her previous match, the 20-year-old leaned into her well-known “#SoloWithCoco” lifestyle… although not everything was truly solo.

“I went to a Reds game — I did not go to that solo, I invited my team this time,” Gauff said with a laugh. “But sometimes I prefer to be by myself than with them — I love them, though! I went with a couple of other players and was teaching them about baseball. A couple of them didn’t know anything about it, so it was cool.”

Her next adventure was far more nerve-jangling. “The other day, I went to the movies and saw Weapons, which is a scary movie,” she revealed. “I don’t recommend seeing scary movies alone and then having to drive back in the middle of the night in the middle of Ohio — it doesn’t help either. I don’t know if I’ll do that again.” She went alone. “Yeah, I went by myself, which sounded like a good idea. Then I was in the parking lot and it was basically empty. And then the movie was scary, and there’s nobody on the road in Ohio after like 10 p.m. So I was just like, ‘Bro, why do I do this?’ So I don’t recommend that,” she said, smiling.

Back on court, there was nothing to regret. Gauff’s straight-sets win over Lucia Bronzetti was a confident display — she produced roughly four times as many winners as her opponent and served strongly, including on the second serve. “Yeah, I thought it was overall pretty good,” she said. “I think a couple of those games I maybe decelerated. It’s tough with these balls — they kind of fly in these conditions — so you just have to trust yourself out there. But overall, today was better than my last match, and I’m happy with how I played.”

Bronzetti’s flat-hitting style presented a challenge. “It felt very awkward sometimes,” Gauff admitted. “I was lucky to practise with a couple of players this week that do hit flat, but she definitely hits flatter than even the ones that do hit flat. So it was very weird — super low, having to get low, but always having to hit the ball basically in this ‘C’ pattern, especially on my forehand side of the court. It was awkward, but I think I did well with it most of the time.”

The win keeps alive a pattern from two years ago: the last time Gauff reached the Cincinnati quarterfinals, she lifted the trophy and went on to win the US Open. In 2025, her lead-up to majors has once again been strong, with finals at two WTA 1000 events earlier this season followed by her first Roland Garros title. “I think you’re able to rely on those experiences because the surfaces are similar, usually, when you’re playing the 1,000 the week or two weeks before a Grand Slam,” she explained. “My French Open win — I had played Irina in the final and was able to rely on that Madrid experience and whatnot to do it. And then a couple of those three-setters, long matches, like against Qinwen, helped me in that Madison match. So just relying on recent experiences. I would love to sometimes not have a good result the week before and still win, but I think it does help. It’s always good to have good results, though.”

Talk turned to another of Gauff’s passions — Marvel. When told the US Open will again collaborate with Marvel this year, releasing a new comic featuring tennis legend Althea Gibson in a Fantastic Four storyline, she lit up. “That’s really cool! I didn’t know about it,” she said. “I got lucky to be in one of the comics with Ironheart, so to see Althea in one is really cool. I’ll make sure to get my hands on one of those. I think they’re celebrating 75 years, so yeah, I’m super, super excited to be at the US Open this year. And I’m definitely going to get my hands on one of those comics for sure.”

Asked to rank the Fantastic Four, she didn’t hesitate to put the women first. “Oh, you’re talking about the individual ones? I think Sue Storm, actually… oh, I don’t know, Johnny was funny in that movie too. But I think Sue ended up saving the day. Then Johnny, then Mr. Fantastic — and I like The Thing too. But overall, I think I’m going to have to go for the ladies first, so Sue Storm.” As Gauff returns to the last eight in Cincinnati, she’ll be hoping to repeat history — both in Ohio and beyond. “The last time that happened, I won the whole thing,” she smiled, “and then went on to win the first major of my career.”