Coco Gauff is rolling in Stuttgart. The reigning Roland Garros champion has powered into the quarter-finals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, setting up a tantalizing clash with Karolina Muchova. Given her dominant record in their past meetings, Gauff will step onto the indoor clay with significant confidence, especially with a favorable path opening up in her half of the draw.
With many of the tour's other top seeds clustered on the opposite side of the bracket, this tournament presents a golden opportunity. A deep run here would be the perfect follow-up to her recent Miami Open triumph, signaling a formidable start to her 2024 clay-court campaign.
After a commanding straight-sets victory over Liudmila Samsonova, Gauff opened up about her current form on the surface. The conversation, inevitably, turned to her serve—a shot that has been under the microscope for some time. Working with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, Gauff has been diligently refining a weapon that, even at its most inconsistent, didn't stop her from winning a major title. Battling through those technical challenges was a testament to her mental toughness and all-court game.
Returning to the clay as a defending Grand Slam champion brings a new kind of pressure. "I feel like I have come into it being a favourite, one of the favourites before, maybe not 'the' favourite," Gauff acknowledged. Her focus in Stuttgart is on finding a rhythm on a surface she admits hasn't always suited her. "I don't do well here. I'm trying to break that curse. I broke it in Miami so hoping to break it here," she said, highlighting her adaptable mindset.
Most encouraging for her fans were her comments on the serve itself. "Made some changes... pretty well today, I thought," Gauff assessed. "Happy with how I served today; think it earned me a lot of free points." This technical progress, yielding those crucial "free points," could be the key that unlocks another spectacular clay season for the young star. As she gears up for her Paris title defense, every ace and service winner in Stuttgart builds momentum.