Coco Gauff used media day at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open to discuss more than tennis, revealing she finished Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights between her run to the Australian Open quarterfinals and her return to Doha. The 1847 novel and Emerald Fennell’s upcoming film adaptation starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie prompted a blunt read and a clear reaction from the American.

“I’m really curious how they’re going to do the movie, because I saw that they’re marketing it as the greatest love story, and after reading it, it’s not a great love story,” Gauff said. “So I don’t really know if this is about to be like, I feel like it’s just going to be the director’s take on the movie, based off the marketing. We’ll see.

“It was a good book, but it definitely is not the greatest love story. It’s a lot of toxicity and abuse going on in that book.”

The experience apparently nudged Gauff toward more classic reads. “I’ve never read a book in the 1800s before, so I had to reread a couple pages sometimes to understand the English. But I think it was good, I think I’ll do it some more to challenge myself.” She also showed off a Heated Rivalry hat she received as a gift at the end of the press conference.

On court in Doha, Gauff is entered in both singles and doubles, the latter alongside Victoria Mboko. As the No. 4 seed she remains focused on her tournament preparation but allowed room for other parts of the winter calendar.

“My friend’s boyfriend is on the Seahawks, so I’m rooting for the Seahawks strictly because of her,” she said, casting her lot with Seattle ahead of their meeting with the New England Patriots.

Gauff also flagged the Super Bowl halftime show as her viewing priority. “I’m excited to see Bad Bunny perform. Hopefully Cardi B can come out. So, I’m more interested in the halftime show this year, just because I don’t really have a dog in the fight for the Super Bowl. I’ll probably be sleeping, and I’ll just watch the halftime show in the morning.”

Victoria Mboko continued her string of three-set battles at the start of 2026, producing back-to-back wins in Adelaide to advance toward the semifinals. “Maybe I can try to find some straight-set wins soon.” The 19-year-old has now played five matches this year and all five have gone the distance. She is 4-1 in deciders to begin the season.

Mboko split her opening two matches at the United Cup before arriving at the WTA 500 in Adelaide. On Wednesday she saved a pair of match points to beat Anna Kalinskaya and keep her run alive. The following day she produced her biggest result of the stretch by defeating the defending champion, No. 2 seed Madison Keys, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

In the final set Mboko did not face a break point and won half of her return points to pull away from the reigning Australian Open champion. “She hits a pretty strong ball, and all I was thinking in that moment was just to try to stay low and try to redirect as much as I could, and try to either make her miss first or have a good opportunity to take control,” Mboko assessed during a press conference Thursday.

The world No. 17 is seeking a third career trophy. She captured her maiden WTA title on home soil last August at the 1000-level event in Montreal and finished 2025 with a title in Hong Kong. Local hopeful Kimberly Birrell, the player Mboko defeated at the start of that seven-match run, awaits in the semifinals.

As the eighth seed, Mboko can move into the Top 15 by winning the title this week. “I’m expecting a big fight tomorrow. She also has the crowd advantage, so that’s good for her,” she said. “But I’m going to just go in the match like I do every other match, and just stay right in there, try to play my game, and just have fun on court.”

Mboko reflected on the rapid change in her career over the last year. “I kind of had to adjust and adapt very quickly from playing ITFs to suddenly playing on the WTA tour full. Often playing top players, you have to get used to all of that,” she reflected. “So I’m glad I can kind of get a deep run in this tournament, and try to set the tone for the start of this year.” At this time a year ago she was ranked No. 337.

Episode 2 of The Big T podcast combined listener questions, new segments and candid conversation. Danielle Collins made an in-studio debut alongside Coco Vandeweghe, and the panel tackled topics ranging from player pet peeves to the Australian Open’s one-point event.

On the court, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka reminded everyone why she sits atop the rankings. The 27-year-old, four-time Grand Slam champion romped through the Brisbane draw, with no opponent pushing her past 6-4 in any set. The opening week also highlighted a scheduling quirk: all of the WTA’s Top 24 competed while four of the ATP’s Top 8 skipped the first week. Brad Gilbert, with Vandeweghe and Collins, offered a reason: “Most of the top women are much more active to start the year because you guys have 500 [level] tournaments.”

January’s calendar places Brisbane and Adelaide as WTA 500 events while the simultaneous ATP tournaments are at the 250 level. Later in the swing, Doha and Dubai are 1000 level for the women and 500 for the men, which gives the WTA more time in the spotlight early in the season.

Poland won the United Cup, but world No. 2 Iga Swiatek struggled, losing to Coco Gauff in straight sets and then to Belinda Bencic in three, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. Vandeweghe noted the toll January competition can take: “Coming into January, you’re supposed to be refreshed… And you’re already mentally frazzled.”

The episode also discussed the Australian Open’s 1 Point Slam, where recreational players could win large sums for scoring a single point against a pro. “I think if you have a big serve,” advised Gilbert, “go for big serve on first and second.” Vandeweghe observed that the format could tighten pros, and several stars failed to land their lone serve in the box.

A new segment, High-Percentage Tennis, produced spirited debate, including questions about coaching and speculation about future matches. “Will Juan Carlos coach a woman? No chance, there’s zero chance,” said Vandeweghe. Collins replied, “I’m gonna call him right now, let’s see if he wants to work with Danielle Collins. You think he can handle me?”

New episodes drop every Wednesday.