Gauff’s China Open Exit Intensifies Questions Over Serve Fix or Forehand Rebuild

Overview

• Coco Gauff lost 6-1, 6-2 to Amanda Anisimova in the China Open semifinals, finishing the match with five double faults and fragile second-serve numbers.
• Her 2025 tally has climbed past 350 double faults, with 27 at the US Open and 31 across five matches in Beijing, underscoring a season-long issue.
• Gauff replaced coach Matt Daly in August with biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, a move framed as a longer-term technical reset.
• Elena Dementieva argued Gauff would gain more by prioritizing a forehand overhaul rather than focusing solely on serve mechanics.
• Coach Rick Macci publicly urged a biomechanical ‘rewire’ of the forehand and predicted the serve could become a weapon with off-season reconstruction.