Winning Longest Match, Coco Gauff Opens Chance of Winning at WTA 1000 Rome

ROME, THURSDAY – American tennis player Cori “Coco” Gauff won the longest match of her career, opening up the opportunity for her to win the WTA 1000 tournament for the third time. She fought for three hours and 32 minutes in the WTA 1000 Roma semifinal match that concluded in the early hours.

The moment occurred while facing Chinese tennis player, Zheng Qin Wen, on the clay court of Foro Italico, Rome, Italy, Thursday (15/5/2025). Coco won the match with a score of 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (4) to compete for the championship title against Jasmine Paolini, who defeated Peyton Stearns 7-5, 6-1.

The duration of more than three hours (one hour and 15 minutes for the first set only), two tie breaks, and a total of 256 points fought in the match, became the numbers that represented the struggle of Coco and Zheng. The atmosphere in the stadium remained lively with the screams of the audience, although those who remained in the stands were only about 20 percent of the 10,500-seat capacity.

With 256 points played, there was an average of 7.5 points per game, making it possible for a deuce to occur in each game.

Zheng put up the toughest resistance in the third meeting with Coco. Moreover, she brought good momentum after eliminating the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, in the quarterfinals. The victory over Sabalenka marked her first win after having lost in all six previous encounters.

The difference in the match result against Coco was quite thin. During the tie break of the third set, Coco's game was more varied. When there was a hard shot contest from the baseline, Coco suddenly made a drop shot that made Zheng unable to anticipate it.

Then, when Zheng was able to return the serve well, Coco served a slice, which is a serve with a slow speed but with a ball that spins faster, on the first serve. Because clay courts bounce the ball higher than other types of courts, Zheng had difficulty returning it properly.

Her shot missed the net and Coco led 6-4. She immediately converted her first match point to win.

Jasmine is a tough opponent. Hopefully I can play at my best and become a champion.

Despite being a marathon match that drained all their abilities, Coco and Zheng were not at their best. Both made more unforced errors than winners. Zheng made 74 unforced errors (22 winners) and Coco made 82 unforced errors (27 winners).

Thus, shortly after scoring the final point, Coco shouted while pounding her chest, releasing all the emotions she had held back during the match. The 21-year-old tennis player showcased her persona as a fighter, emerging from difficulties when not performing well.

"I just tried to survive every point. I knew it was going to be a tough match today and it was physical. I'm happy to get through it even though I didn't play at my best," Coco told tennis.com.

The match became Coco's longest game in her seven years of competing in the professional tennis arena, surpassing her previous lengthy match in the third round of the WTA 1000 Toronto 2022. At that time, Coco defeated Sabalenka 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) after playing for three hours and 11 minutes.

By advancing to the final, Coco became the first American tennis player to reach the WTA 1000 Rome final since Serena Williams in 2016. At that time, Serena won the championship by defeating fellow American player Madison Keys in the final.

Italy even waited 40 years to see their female tennis player appear in the final. Paolini achieved this after Rafaella Regi, who is currently 59 years old, won in 1985.

"Jasmine is a tough opponent. I hope I can play at my best level and become the champion," said Coco about the final she will be competing in on Saturday.

Paolini is trailing 1-2 against Coco in their three encounters, but won in their most recent meeting that took place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 Stuttgart a month ago. The 29-year-old tennis player will have the advantage of playing in front of her home crowd.

"I'm very happy. It's hard to express it. It's like a dream to play in a final in Italy," Paolini said.

Despite competing in professional tennis since 2015, Paolini is a late bloomer. She won her first WTA Tour title at the age of 25, at the WTA 250 Slovenia in 2021.

His best moment came in 2024 when Paolini was 28 years old, reaching the finals in two consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, at the French Open and Wimbledon. That year, he also won the WTA 1000 in Dubai and led Italy to become the best team in the Billie Jean King Cup women's team championship.

The host public can also hope for a championship title in the men's singles at the ATP Masters 1000 level with the presence of two Italian players in the semifinals on Friday. World number one, Jannik Sinner, will face Tommy Paul (USA). Meanwhile, Lorenzo Musetti will challenge the owner of four Grand Slam titles, Carlos Alcaraz. (afp/reuters)