Coco Gauff's second-round match of the 2026 Rome Masters wasn't expected to be difficult. No offense to Tereza Valentova, but she is not of the ilk of the American. Plus, Gauff's best surface is arguably clay, which is what the Italian Open is played on.
In the first set, Gauff jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the 19-year-old, but then ran into problems with herself. The American could even be heard to say, "I always do this..." meaning she was allowing a player back into a match they had no business being in.
This has always been, maybe, the only drawback to Gauff's game. She is almost always more athletic than her opponent, able to chase down well-hit shots that mere mortals could not do, and overpower players with her forehand and serve. But she's inconsistent, and that came to bear midway through set one.
A win is a win for Coco Gauff
She was able to right herself, though, and after the set became 5-3, she was able to hold to make the score look better than the set had gone. Fans watching knew there was little doubt about the likely outcome of the match, but seeing Gauff win with consistency would have been better.
In the second set, Gauff jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but Valentova got the hold, and then the fifth game of the set appeared to last forever as the American could simply not put the Czech away. A break might have not only changed the narrative of the set, though Gauff would have needed to keep playing with inconsistency.
After several points played at deuce. Valentova did get the break, and the set was suddenly back on serve at 3-all. Her momentum wouldn't last long, though. Gauff would get another break and win the second set 6-4. The match could have been easy, but in Masters 1000s and majors, one simply takes their win and moves on.
Coco Gauff will next play the winner of the Solana Sierra and Anhelina Kalinina match in the third round. Gauff can likely sneak by that match if she isn't in top form, too. After that, things begin to get much more difficult.
Add us as a preferred source on Google