Coco Gauff has progressed to the fourth round of the Canadian Open after overcoming Veronika Kudermetova with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory in Montreal. Despite her win, the American expressed disappointment in her serving performance, which has been hindered by a high number of double faults.

The 21-year-old world No. 2 battled through her service struggles, recording 14 double faults in this match alone. This followed an even more challenging opening round where she committed 23 double faults against Danielle Collins, combining for 37 double faults across her first two matches at this WTA 1000 event.

Gauff acknowledged both the positives and negatives of her recent performances, stating, “There’s positives and there’s negatives. Obviously, I am disappointed in myself when it comes to that part of the game because I didn’t play D.C. [Citi DC Open] to work on that and made changes to that. Doing well in practice and serving really well in practice. I just would like it to transfer to the match.” She added, “It does give positives that I’m winning these matches, having literally like one part of my game on a crutch. So it’s like if I can stand on both feet, then I can only imagine that it would be a lot more straightforward and a lot easier for me.”

Serving issues have been a recurring problem for Gauff over the past months. She notably double faulted 19 times in her 2024 US Open fourth-round loss to Emma Navarro and had 21 double faults during losses at the Wuhan and Indian Wells tournaments. Her 37 double faults in Montreal represent the third-highest total at a WTA 1000 event this season, following her 42 at the Italian Open and 38 at Indian Wells.

Reflecting on the statistic, Gauff said, “I don’t want to lead that stat, and I want to do better. I know I probably won’t be ever double fault-free, but if I could get that to 2%, 3%, it would make a big difference in just making these matches a lot easier. The fact that I’m winning matches and finding ways to win with that is definitely a positive. But I’m a tough critic of myself. I know I can do better, and I know I should do better. It will get better. It’s just a matter of time.”

Gauff is set to face local favorite Victoria Mboko in the fourth round of the Canadian Open, a player she previously defeated in three sets at the Italian Open. The winner of that match will move on to face either Zhu Lin or Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the quarter-finals.

The Canadian Open has adopted a 12-day extended format starting from 2025, a change that has attracted criticism from notable figures including former ATP player Sam Querrey. This scheduling shift, commencing only two weeks after Wimbledon concludes, is widely considered a major factor behind multiple significant player withdrawals.

Top stars like World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, and World No. 6 Novak Djokovic have all withdrawn from this year’s Canadian Open following their Wimbledon campaigns. Additional notable absences include World No. 5 Jack Draper, Grigor Dimitrov, Tommy Paul on the men’s side, and WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s tournament.

The Cincinnati Open, immediately following the Canadian Open, also embraces the multiple-week format in 2025, overlapping with the tail end of the Canadian event.

Querrey expressed his concerns in the podcast Nothing Major: “The players don’t like it, the fans don’t like it, and now especially in Toronto with Carlos, Novak, Jannik and others pulling out.” He added, “We just had this great event in DC with an amazing final, and you got to watch Alex [de Minaur], and [Ben] Shelton and [Frances] Tiafoe. There is no momentum going into Toronto. I am not excited as a fan.”

Querrey acknowledged the optimism of mid-ranked players, saying, “I’m sure those guys ranked like Zverev, Fritz, Musetti and Shelton, are like: ‘I can win this, possibly this year.’ But it just is going to drag on. The next three and a half weeks of tennis is just going to drag on. Cincinnati is going to start while Toronto is still going on.”

He also noted the unusual scheduling of only one qualifying round in Toronto, a rarity for Masters 1000 events.

The prolonged schedule format, once limited to Indian Wells and the Miami Open, is now common among several Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events. This spring, both Madrid and Rome transitioned to two-week formats, and further multi-week events are planned for Shanghai on the men’s side and Beijing on the women’s side in the autumn.

The ATP Tour calendar’s evolving format continues to provoke debate, with other players such as World No. 4 Taylor Fritz also voicing criticism recently.

Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova, both early bloomers in the tennis world, are poised to meet again with renewed form in the 2025 Montreal tournament. Raducanu, 22, shot to prominence by winning the 2021 US Open at 18, while Anisimova, 23, made her mark with a semifinal appearance at the 2019 Roland Garros at just 17.

Both players faced setbacks following their initial breakthroughs, dealing with injuries, coaching changes, and confidence struggles that impacted their rankings and performances. Yet 2025 marks a turning point for these athletes. Raducanu has climbed 28 spots in the rankings to 33rd and recently reached the semifinals in Washington, D.C. Anisimova’s rise has been even more pronounced—advancing to a career-high ranking of No. 7 after reaching the Wimbledon final this year.

Their head-to-head meetings happened twice in 2025 on hard courts at the Australian Open and Miami. Surprisingly, Raducanu claimed straight-set victories in both encounters. Despite Anisimova’s recognized baseline power, Raducanu’s proactive play style, aggressive return on second serves, and quick counterpunching have proven effective.

This intriguing matchup blends the vigor and tactical growth of two players once thought to be stalled. Fans tuning into the Montreal event can expect a competitive contest as both seek to affirm their places among the sport’s elite.