Coco Gauff Earns 25 Times More For United Cup Title Than For Last Year's Auckland Win
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Coco Gauff chose to start the 2025 season differently than her previous seasons, and prize money might have played a role in her decision-making.
Gauff had a very successful start to the new season. At the end of the day, it was the same start she had in the previous years as well, but this year, it was against stronger opposition and with much more prize money involved.
In 2023 and 2024, the 20-year-old American won the ASB Classic in Auckland, but this year, she has decided to change her schedule. Gauff debuted at the United Cup, representing Team USA.
It proved to be a great decision. She teamed up with Taylor Fritz, and even though her teammate lost one of his singles matches, they were able to team up and win in singles.
Gauff completed the week undefeated, as did Team USA overall, lifting the trophy at the end of the week. It was the USA's second win in the three years that the competition has been running for.
Although Gauff will take plenty of confidence from her win at the United Cup, she will also take home a ridiculously high amount in prize money won at the event, the most of any player.
For her efforts at the 2025 United Cup, Gauff earned an incredible $907,000, which is even more than Fritz's $864,200. Both of them were rewarded $230,000 only for competing at the tournament.
The United Cup is one of the few tournaments (along with the ATP Finals and the WTA Finals) that offers a participation fee. That meant that only signing up for the United Cup earned Gauff six times more than she would have earned as a champion in Auckland this year.
For last year's ASB Classic win, Gauff earned $35,250 in prize money, and with $907,000 earned at the United Cup this year, she earned more than 25 times her last year's earnings. This year's ASB Classic champion earned $36,300.
For comparison, Gauff won $3,000,000 for her 2023 US Open win, and this year's Australian Open champion will earn $2,182,045. This only highlights how well the United Cup pays players.
Iga Swiatek, who lost the final match to Gauff, earned $600,900 at the event, while Elena Rybakina, who reached the semi-finals with Kazakhstan, collected a $421,350 paycheque. Karolina Muchova won $373,000 in prize money, while Jasmine Paolini received $326,800.
All of these players, despite getting nowhere near the trophy and losing matches during the week, earned much more in prize money than Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane International, pocketing $192,475 for her efforts.
Gauff's win at the United Cup makes her an overall leader in prize money earned for the 2025 season so far. That, however, can change at the Australian Open unless she continues her undefeated streak and wins the trophy in Melbourne.
It would be her second Grand Slam title. However, Sabalenka will be the biggest favorite as she enters the tournament as a two-time defending champion.
