Though she didn’t get her hands on a major title this year, there were plenty of positives for Coco Gauff to take away from her 2026 Grand Slam season.
The 22-year-old American started with a quarterfinal finish at the Australian Open, followed by a disappointing end to her Roland Garros title defence in the third round. But Gauff then recorded, by far, her best-ever result at Wimbledon by reaching the semifinals, and was a match point away from making it to the final in SW19.
Gauff enjoyed her second-best US Open run earlier this month by reaching the semifinals, where she was one set removed from the championship match. With 16 victories, it was her joint-winningest Grand Slam season yet.
Coco Gauff discusses improvements needed for next season
Gauff will now get her Asian swing underway at the China Open, the penultimate WTA 1000 event of the season. Ahead of the tournament, the two-time Grand Slam champion was asked what improvements she wants to make ahead of the 2027 Australian Open.
She replied: “Yeah, I think just going for my shots a little bit more, trying to be a bit more aggressive. I think also higher first-serve percentage. I win a lot of first-serve percentage points, so I’m just trying to increase that number for making more first serves in.
How would you rate Coco Gauff’s Grand Slam season?
“Yeah, those are the main things. Without giving away too much,” said Gauff, smiling. Seeded third in Beijing, Gauff is bidding to clinch her fifth WTA 1000 title and her second at the China Open, where she has performed well in the past.
Gauff made the semifinals of the China Open in her tournament debut in 2023, and won the tournament the following year. Last season, Gauff made the semifinals again, but suffered a heavy defeat to compatriot Amanda Anisimova.
Defending champion Anisimova recently pulled out of the China Open due to injury, following Alex Eala and Jessica Pegula on the list of withdrawals.
Coco Gauff says the pressure is off after Grand Slam season ending
Following the conclusion of the US Open, only three big tournaments remain in the 2026 WTA calendar. Two WTA 1000 events are still to come in the form of the China Open and the Wuhan Open, before the WTA Finals cap off the year.
“I think now that the slams are over, I feel like a lot of the pressure is off,” said Gauff. “So, like I said, I just try to treat this more as a practice month for next year. Yeah, I think that’s also part of the reason why maybe I do do well at this part of the season, just because I feel a little bit more relaxed.
“I think being in China, there’s a lot of support here. I get a lot of gifts here. I think it just takes a bit of the load off. I think the main thing is the slams being over; it’s a lot less chaos now. I think it’s just playing here in China is such a unique experience because I feel like there’s so much history here, so much culture here. Especially being from the U.S., I think obviously we’re old, but China’s a really old country.
“I think it’s really cool to experience things like going to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and feeling the history there. I’m someone who enjoys learning about that. As I said, the fans here- I already got some gifts today.
“Even when I left home, my suitcase was filled to the brim. My mom is like, you don’t have any room for the gifts you’re going to take back. I’m like, don’t worry, I packed an extra bag. It just shows how much love they have. It keeps me wanting to come back here and perform in front of the fans because I appreciate them a lot here.”
World number one Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka are the top two seeds at the China Open, which gets underway on September 30.
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