Coco Gauff limped off the court in Montreal with her head hanging low, not from physical pain, but from the sting of a performance that fell well short of her standards.
Canadian wildcard Victoria Mboko had just dismantled the world No. 2 in straight sets, a result that shocked the tennis world and left Gauff searching for answers about her recent struggles.
How Did Victoria Mboko Expose Gauff’s Weaknesses in Montreal?
Coming into Montreal as the top seed and one of the tournament favorites, Gauff had already shown cracks in her game during the early rounds. Her serving troubles, which had plagued her throughout the week, finally caught up with her in devastating fashion. Despite grinding out back-to-back three-set victories in previous rounds, the 21-year-old reigning French Open champion couldn’t shake off her error-prone form.
The fourth-round match against Mboko proved to be the breaking point. Gauff fell 6-1, 6-4 in just over an hour, a scoreline that told the story of complete dominance by the Canadian wildcard.
Pressure? What pressure
Victoria Mboko reaches her first ever WTA 1000 quarterfinal after taking out the top seed Gauff 6-1, 6-4.#OBN25 pic.twitter.com/S3X8ttdadw
— wta (@WTA) August 3, 2025
At the post-match press conference, Gauff didn’t hide behind excuses. Her assessment was brutally honest and revealed the mental toll of her recent performances. “Yeah, I mean, it is tough,” she said when asked about facing an opponent riding a wave of confidence. “I knew she would come in with a lot of confidence, and she’s won her first couple of rounds easily.”
The American continued with a candid admission that highlighted her frustration. “Honestly, I haven’t played the best this tournament, so I knew that it would be tough. I don’t know, I just felt like I could do better today, but I also knew that if I took my foot off the gas a little bit, that she would take advantage of those moments, and she did.”
What Do Gauff’s Serving Statistics Reveal About Her Struggles?
The loss to Mboko was the culmination of serving problems that had been building throughout the tournament. Gauff’s honesty about her performance comes after two grueling matches earlier in the week that exposed serious technical issues with her serve.
In her second-round encounter against fellow American Danielle Collins, Gauff narrowly escaped defeat despite committing an astronomical 23 double faults. This staggering figure ranks as the fifth-highest in WTA history, a statistic that perfectly encapsulates the severity of her serving woes.
Coco Gauff winning a match in which she hit 23 double faults on a clean ace is the most Coco Gauff thing ever pic.twitter.com/zXZQS2HAbo
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) July 30, 2025
The serving nightmare didn’t end there. In her following round against Veronika Kudermetova, Gauff recorded another 14 double faults during what eventually became a comeback victory. These back-to-back performances revealed a player fighting not just opponents, but also her technique and confidence.
Despite her singles exit, Gauff remains active in the tournament through doubles competition. She and partner McCartney Kessler have secured a quarterfinal spot by defeating No. 7 seeds Ellen Perez and Lyudmyla Kichenok. Their next challenge comes against the formidable duo of Jeļena Ostapenko and Barbora Krejčíková, with the winner advancing to face Olga Danilović and Hsieh Su-wei in the semifinals.
What Does Rick Macci Believe Can Fix Gauff’s Technical Issues?
The tennis coaching community has taken notice of Gauff’s struggles, with veteran coach Rick Macci offering both criticism and hope. Macci, who has worked with some of the sport’s biggest names, including Serena Williams, provided a sharp assessment of Gauff’s serving problems while suggesting they could be resolved quickly with proper guidance.
Taking to social media, Macci didn’t mince words about what needs to change. “With every athlete, you have to play the WHAT IF CARD. If Coco had an ATP forehand with style, she would go the extra mile,” he wrote. “It can be changed with the right tweak and could be reconnected in less than a week. With her second serve, this can be rewired easily right from the ground and in 1 hour be a weapon and fundamentally sound,” Macci added.
However, Macci wasn’t entirely critical of the young American. He emphasized the mental strength that has carried Gauff through difficult moments throughout her career. “Coco knows how to survive and thrive. Mentally, she is beyond elite, and that is the key reason she is hard to beat. Her movement is a bullet and shrinks the court and the best athlete in the sport,” he added in a follow-up message.
The Montreal loss represents more than just another early exit for Gauff. It highlights the ongoing technical adjustments needed at the highest level of professional tennis, where even minor flaws can be ruthlessly exploited by determined opponents. With her doubles campaign still alive and future tournaments ahead, Gauff will need to address these serving issues before they become a more permanent obstacle to her success.
MORE: Coco Gauff Admits She’s ‘So Disappointed in Herself’ Amid Double Fault Struggles Despite Wins in Montreal
