Coco Gauff survives tough battle to progress to Italian Open Final

Coco Gauff faced Zheng Qinwen in a thrilling match.

Their last encounter lasted over three hours. Gauff won that final-set tiebreak after being down a break.

In their latest meeting at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, they battled again. Gauff triumphed 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(4).

This victory sent her to her first career final in Rome. She is the first American to reach this final in nine years.

The match was the longest of Gauff's career and this year on the Hologic WTA Tour.

Gauff will play against top-ranked Italian Jasmine Paolini in the final. She aims to be the first U.S. player to win this title since Serena Williams.

After the match, Gauff reflected on her performance. “I was just trying to go for every point,” she said.

She acknowledged it was a physical match, similar to their last encounter. “Overall I’m just happy,” she added.

Gauff admitted it wasn’t her best level but felt relieved to advance to another final.