Coco Gauff Jokes About Trophy Ceremony Nightmare After Intense Italian Open Final Loss

Posted : 17 May 2026

American tennis star Coco Gauff used humor to process a grueling 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 defeat against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the final of the 2026 Italian Open on Saturday. The loss marked a consecutive runner-up finish for the young world number four at the iconic Foro Italico venue. Despite the intense physical disappointment on court, Gauff managed to find a lighter perspective regarding her difficult weekend experience.

Gauff fought valiantly through a marathon two-hour and 49-minute baseline duel against the surging Ukrainian veteran. The American showed immense mental resilience by saving a crucial match point earlier in the tournament against Iva Jovic. She also overcame first-set deficits in almost all her matches in Rome; however, Svitolina proved to be a tactical step too far during the high-stakes final set.

The 22-year-old American initially found herself in command of the opening set before Svitolina gathered momentum. The seventh-seeded Ukrainian fought off 14 of 17 break points throughout the competitive match. Svitolina reeled off four consecutive games to steal the first set; nevertheless, Gauff answered back by dominating the second-set tiebreak to level the physical contest.

Svitolina responded with superior composure in the deciding set by utilizing unforced errors from her younger opponent. Gauff suffered from seven costly double faults during the match; consequently, Svitolina successfully sealed her third career title in Rome. The victory marked the 50th top-ten win of Svitolina's illustrious career on the professional tour.

Gauff later took to her social media accounts to poke fun at the painful post-match proceedings. She published a humorous list of her top five horror movies; notably, every single slot was filled with descriptions of sitting through a runner-up ceremony. Gauff added a disclaimer clarifying that the post was simply a joke meant to entertain her followers.

The former US Open champion will quickly shift her focus toward defending her grand slam title at Roland Garros. Gauff has displayed strong clay-court form this spring despite a round-of-16 exit against Linda Noskova at the Madrid Open. She will enter Paris highly confident in her chances of claiming a third career major title.

Coco Gauff Jokes About Trophy Ceremony Nightmare After Intense Italian Open Final Loss

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