American star Coco Gauff fell 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Belinda Bencic in the Round of 16 at Indian Wells, continuing a challenging start to the year. While her season has not yielded the results she hoped for, Gauff, who turns 21 on Thursday, March 13, remains optimistic, saying she doesn’t feel “as bad as it seems.”
“Just accepting the highs and lows. I think sometimes in sports you want to just stay on the high and kind of ride that wave, but especially with this sport, a season as long as tennis, it’s kind of impossible to always be on that high wave, and there’s going to be some low moments I think. Just trying to stick through those tough moments and get better through them,” she told reporters when reflecting on her time on tour.
“Overall I feel like, I mean, it’s not as bad as it seems,” she said after her loss to Bencic. The American is now working with Matt Daly after parting ways with Brad Gilbert last year and has been experimenting with grip adjustments.
“I lost 6-4 in the third in the fourth round against a tough opponent who’s coming off a 500 win. Obviously I wanted to do better, want to have better results, but it’s not something I can crush myself on. I’m trying to do better, and that’s all I can do. I’m trying to work on things in practice, and unfortunately right now it’s not translating how I’d like to,” she explained.
Coco Gauff’s slump in 2025
Gauff ended 2024 on a high, winning a WTA 1000 title in Beijing and securing her first WTA Finals crown in Riyadh. She entered 2025 with strong momentum. After going 5-0 at the United Cup and defeating Iga Swiatek, she was considered a top contender for the Australian Open.
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However, she fell to Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals in Melbourne. Her struggles continued with back-to-back first-round exits in Qatar against Marta Kostyuk and in Dubai against McCartney Kessler. At Indian Wells, she managed wins over Moyuka Uchijima and Maria Sakkari before her loss to Bencic.
The Swiss star continues her strong run after returning from maternity leave. She gave birth to her daughter Bella last April and return to the tour in the fall. The 2021 Olympic gold medalist won her ninth title at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open. Now, she will face fifth seed and Australian Open champion, Madison Keys.
