Coco Gauff had a turbulent run at the Madrid Open, which ended in the round of 16 after a loss to Linda Noskova.
Gauff began her campaign with a straightforward 6-3, 6-0 win over Leolia Jeanjean, but illness soon became a factor. Despite vomiting on court due to a stomach virus, she managed to come through 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 against Sorana Cirstea.
Her tournament ended in the next round though when she lost to Noskova despite fighting back from behind before eventually losing out in a final set tiebreak.
Gauff shared her thoughts on Instagram: “Getting a stomach virus hallelujah. Regardless of the circumstances I still had fun and learned a lot, gracias Madrid.”
She later posted a follow-up message in her story alongside a photo of her being sick during the match.
Alongside that, she wrote: “Sorry to everyone who had to see this. Me winning this match will go down as a personal career highlight haha.”
While Gauff sits at 19-8 for the season, Noskova has moved on to face Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals.
The only American left in the draw is Hailey Baptiste, who reached the semifinals after an impressive win over Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff would have been hoping for a deeper run in the tournament, especially with a first title of the year still on her mind.
But that goal will now shift to Rome, where another WTA 1000 event awaits before attention turns to the French Open.
Last year, Gauff finished as runner-up in both Madrid and Rome but then went on to defeat Aryna Sabalenka in Paris, claiming her second Grand Slam title.
The American is well-suited to clay courts but will need to be back at full health if she wants to repeat her success at Roland Garros this season.
Even so, there were positives for Gauff in Madrid. Her mental toughness stood out, especially in that hard-fought win over Cirstea while battling illness.
That resilience has always been a big part of her game and one of the reasons she’s already collected 11 career titles despite still being early into her career.
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