The last time Gauff played Vekic, it ended in tears. Now, she gets a rematch
By Billie Eder
The only time Coco Gauff has played Donna Vekic was at the Olympics in Paris, when a controversial call from the chair umpire left the American in tears and she lost in straight sets.
The next time they’ll meet will be on Australian soil, when team USA and team Croatia go head-to-head in the group stage of the United Cup in Perth on December 31.
Coco Gauff in her third-round match against Donna Vekic at the Olympics.Credit: AP
“She [Vekic] was playing great tennis, and I knew at that time it was going to be a tough match. I really felt like whoever won that match was going to end up getting the opportunity to play a medal match, and I was right,” Gauff told this masthead about the third-round match in Paris.
World No.13 Vekic went on to claim Olympic silver after losing to China’s Zheng Qinwen in the final.
“So much has happened since then,” Gauff said. “I think, in tennis in general, I’m just so used to moving on. You have no time to dwell in our sport: you lose one week, most times you have to play again two or three days later.
“So, I think it’s something that I’m used to, but looking forward to. And obviously, I played her on clay and this would be hard [court] so it will be a little bit different.”
The United Cup, a team tournament played in Sydney and Perth, has drawn big names in 2025, including Gauff, Zheng and world No.2 Iga Swiatek.
It means world No.3 Gauff could play some of her biggest rivals in Swiatek, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina and Zheng in the two weeks leading up to the Australian Open – a quality of match-ups that wouldn’t typically happen until the quarter-finals or semi-finals of a grand slam.
Along with her match against Vekic, Gauff will also play a singles match against world No.31 and grand slam finalist Leylah Fernandez, regardless of how far team USA progress through the tournament.
Guaranteed matches against top-ranked players was a big drawcard for Gauff to play the United Cup.
“I’ve never played the event before but from what I’ve seen, it’s a good combination of just both relaxed fun and also just high-level competition, which for me is important,” Gauff said.
“The grand slams are already super intense, long, two weeks, so to play something that can prep you well but also kind of meet that fun side of things I think will be a good combination for me going into Melbourne.”
Gauff recently won the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With wins over Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng, Gauff became the youngest champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004.
Gauff’s greatest achievement to date is winning the 2023 US Open, her first and only grand slam title. However, she believes her tennis at the end of the 2024 season was better than when she won her first major, and she’s hoping to carry that momentum into the Australian season.
“Honestly, I feel like I’m playing better since then [the US Open victory]. I’ve always said the US Open, even though it’s my biggest win in my career, I don’t feel like I was playing my best tennis, and WTA Finals, I felt like there was times I was playing my best tennis, [but] maybe not all throughout the tournament,” Gauff said.
“So, I feel like I’m getting closer and closer to feeling like I’m playing my best tennis, throughout the whole week, which honestly in any slam there’s always like one match I feel like you don’t play as well, but I definitely feel like having that experience [the WTA Finals win] ... gives me a lot of confidence, I feel like I’m playing great tennis and even now in practice. So, I’m hoping I can translate that over into the match.”
Coco Gauff reacts after defeating Aryna Sabalenka to win the 2023 US Open final.Credit: Getty Images
“Obviously, I would love to win the Australian Open. I felt last year losing in the semis against Aryna was tough,” Gauff said.
“So, that would be the ultimate dream I guess, to do that at the start of the year, but I think for me, my approach I guess is stay in the moment and focusing on the process and hoping the results come … maybe not putting so much weight on wins and losses, which is something I’ve done in the past.
“But I feel like I always play my best tennis when I least expect to win a tournament, which WTA Finals, I definitely wouldn’t have expected that, and the same with the US Open win. So, I’m just trying to learn to relax a little bit.”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter