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Coco Gauff Dominates Emma Raducanu in Italian Open

Coco Gauff defeated Emma Raducanu in straight sets at the Italian Open.
Pat Benson|
Coco Gauff easily defeated Emma Raducanu in the Italian Open.
Coco Gauff easily defeated Emma Raducanu in the Italian Open. | IMAGO / NurPhoto

Tennis fans did not know what to expect in Monday's highly anticipated matchup between four-seed Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu in the fourth round of the Italian Open (Internazionali BNL d'Italia).

The battle of former US Open champions featured two streaky players who are not particularly fond of clay courts. The outcome would largely depend on which version of Gauff showed up; it ended up being her very best version.

Gauff easily defeated Raducanu in straight sets: 6-1, 6-2. Gauff continued her hot streak and advanced to the quarterfinals in Rome for the third time in her career. She has now won eight of her last nine matches.

Gauff tallied four aces aces and three double faults. She landed 64% of her first serves and won points on 76% and 56% of her first and second serves.

Meanwhile, Raducanu was unable to capitalize on her service games. She did not hit any aces and double-faulted once. She landed 63% of her first serves and won points on just 48% and 44% of her first and second serves.

Making matters worse for Raducanu, she was unable to break Gauff in three attempts. Conversely, Gauff broke Raducanu in 4/9 opportunities.

When asked how she graded her performance, Gauff answered, "Definitely an A. It was tough conditions; it was super windy and this court is super dry compared to the other ones. I played a match here the other day, so I knew what to expect.

Gauff complimented her opponent, "Obviously, Emma is a tough opponent. No matter what surface, she is tough to play. So, I'm really happy with how I played."

Gauff is now 22-7 on the season and will face the winner of Mirra Andreeva and Clara Tauson in the quarterfinal tomorrow. Meanwhile, Raducanu falls to 11-9 and will begin preparation for Roland Garros.

While it was not the result Raducanu wanted, she continues to go deeper in tournaments which will help her rank and seeding in upcoming tournaments.

Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

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Iga Swiatek explained what went wrong in the Italian Open and briefly discussed Roland Garros.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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