Coco Gauff Tipped To Win 2025 Australian Open By Tournament Director
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Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has backed Coco Gauff to win her second major title at the season's opening Grand Slam.
Gauff struggled throughout much of 2024 by her high standards. The American's fortunes changed after the US Open when she parted with Brad Gilbert and hired Matt Daly, who previously worked with Denis Shapovalov, as his replacement.
After winning the China Open in her first tournament with Daly, Gauff claimed the second most significant title of her career at the WTA Finals, beating Qinwen Zheng in the final after one of the most epic matches of the season.
Gauff received the largest prize prize money in WTA history for that triumph: $4.805 million. That was because of Saudi Arabia's financial muscle after its capital city of Riyadh was awarded the season-ending tournament.
The world No. 3 started her 2025 season at the United Cup. She did not lose a singles or doubles match to help Team USA qualify for the final, where it faced Iga Swiatek's Poland for the title.
Gauff produced an outstanding performance to defeat Swiatek 6-4, 6-4, and put Team USA 1-0 up. The WTA Finals winner overcame some possible gamesmanship from Swiatek when the Pole took a medical timeout at 4-6, 4-5 despite admitting she was not injured afterward.
Taylor Fritz's victory in a deciding set tiebreak against Hubert Hurkacz sealed a second United Cup title for Team USA. That completed the perfect way for Gauff to start her 2025 WTA season.
Expectations of the 2023 US Open champion have increased among many because of her outstanding form in the last few months, and she will aim to win another Grand Slam title at next week's Australian Open.
Gauff lost to eventual champion and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of last year's Australian Open. It was an exceptional match, but the American lost in straight sets, showing how challenging it is to beat Sabalenka, the 2023 and 2024 champion, in Melbourne.
However, Tiley told the Australian Open website that he thinks Gauff will stop Sabalenka from winning a third consecutive Australian Open title. The tournament director thinks the young star is playing the best tennis on the WTA Tour right now.
"Coco Gauff, I think she'll do the job. She’s playing the best tennis right now. Fortunately, her and Aryna Sabalenka are on course to play the same event. Sabalenka won in Brisbane, she does really well here, but Coco’s gone up a notch."
This year's women's singles at the Australian could be the most competitive in tennis. Sabalenka, who won last week's Brisbane International, Gauff, and Swiatek, started the season by playing great tennis.
Tiley also predicted that Jannik Sinner, the defending men's singles champion, would retain his title. He thinks it is hard to look past the Italian after his performances last season, although he chose not to compete at any of the tournaments before the Australian Open.
"It’s hard to go past Jannik Sinner on the men’s side because he’s playing so well."
