Earlier this year, Coco Gauff suffered a one-sided 1-6, 2-6 defeat to Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. The World No. 4 had appeared to be quite frustrated with her performance during the encounter and even smashed her racket backstage. Since that episode, she has seemed to be fighting an inner battle with herself and there have been moments where her frustrations have spilled onto the court. While Gauff has managed to make it to the final of the Italian Open, there have been moments where her emotional struggles have been evident, and a former pro understood it better than others.

After a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory over Tereza Valentova in the first round, Gauff would make a brilliant comeback against Solana Sierra in the next match and win 5-7, 6-0, 6-4. However, during the match, the 22-year-old was seen striking her own head twice with the racket in frustration. After the match, she even admitted to being in a ‘weird’ space mentally. As she gears up to face Svitolina in the Italian Open final, Gauff has received the support of former World No. 1, Tracy Austin, who feels that it isn’t a big deal to show frustration on the court as the players are humans, after all.

When asked if Gauff will be able to control her frustration if she goes a set down in the final, Tracy remarked, “In one of those matches against Sierra, she actually did self-harm, she hit her head a couple of times and talked about it afterwards. She said, ‘I’ve been dealing with a few things off the court. They are not robots; they are humans, and they have emotions. What’s most important for Coco is that she’s getting through these matches but is also playing a little better each time. She is used to being in the final so often, but Svitolina is the one who has won this a couple of times.”

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Gauff has had quite a tough campaign in Rome so far. She has had to come back from a set down in three out of her last four matches and has given it all to secure a spot in the final. However, the momentum here clearly looks to be with Svitolina, as not only has she had a stronger campaign than Gauff, but she has also defeated her on two occasions this year.

Following her victory over Gauff at the Australian Open, the Ukrainian had then eliminated her from the semifinals of the Dubai Championships with a 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 triumph. She also currently leads the H2H record by 3-2. Svitolina had defeated tough opponents like Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Rome Masters, respectively.

But with both players being in great form, the final can end up going towards any side. While Gauff is chasing her first singles title of the season, Svitolina is aiming to win her second, and it is safe to say that the match will be a must-watch for tennis fans around the world.

Gauff has kind of a love-hate relationship with the Italian Open. The American has a strong record in the tournament but hasn’t been able to win the coveted title so far. She had two semifinal appearances at the event until last year when she made it to the final for the first time ever. However, the match didn’t quite go her way.

Coco Gauff suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Jasmine Paolini in the final

Gauff had come up against the crowd-favorite Jasmine Paolini in the final of the Italian Open last year. Though the American boasted a 2-1 adavantage over her opponent in the H2H record at that time, she got completely outclassed by Paolini in the penultimate match.

With the home support behind her, Paolini put in a stunning performance and recorded a 6-4, 6-2 victory in an hour and 29 minutes. This was her third WTA title triumph and her first in Rome. After the match, Gauff had described the defeat as “bittersweet” and admitted that she didn’t play at her best.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling. Jasmine played great tennis today. Unfortunately, I felt like I didn’t bring my best, which I knew I needed today. Overall a lot to look forward to in Paris,” she had said during the post-match press conference.

Gauff has met Paolini three times more since that match and has emerged victorious in two of the clashes. However, the American ended up losing when it mattered the most.

Will Gauff be able to turn things around against Svitolina this time, or will her wait for a title in Rome stretch even further? Drop your predictions in the comments!