‘Class act’ Coco Gauff praised by tennis fans for what she did immediately after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final

Coco Gauff has fallen short of a first WTA title of 2025 and a return to world number two after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final.

Gauff is upbeat despite the loss in the final of the Madrid Open, where she was beaten 6-3, 7-6(7-3) by Sabalenka.

The final saw the top seed and fourth seed come together, with the world number one triumphing after one hour and 39 minutes.

Having won in Miami and Brisbane, Sabalenka now has three WTA Tour titles to her name in the 2025 season so far.

She will also extend her stay at the top of the WTA rankings, with American ace Gauff currently in fourth position.

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Fans praise ‘class act’ Coco Gauff after Madrid Open final loss to Aryna Sabalenka

And despite the defeat, Gauff has come in for heavy praise from many tennis fans, particularly after she congratulated Sabalenka on her success and indeed after the duo celebrated together on court.

One fan wrote on X: “Now that is how you lose a match gracefully. Class act Coco! Congratulations to Sabalenka.”

READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka reveals the ‘key’ reason why she was able to beat Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open final after winning in straight sets

A second said: “Gauff remains graceful either winning or losing a game,” with a third writing: “Gauff is a class act.”

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A fourth fan commented: “Classy speech out of Coco,” with a fifth noting: “I say this all the time but this young woman was raised well. Graciousness personified.”

Coco Gauff finds form at the perfect time as French Open nears

Gauff certainly deserves plenty of praise for her run at the Madrid Open, which was ended only by the world number one.

She started out with early wins against unseeded trio Dayana Yastremska, Ann Li and Belinda Bencic at the WTA 1000 event.

READ MORE: Tracy Austin and Jim Courier agree over which player’s year they’d prefer out of Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys

Gauff then outclassed seventh seed Mirra Andreeva and second seed Iga Swiatek to reach the final in the Spanish capital.

And while there will be obvious disappointment, the 21-year-old should take plenty of confidence from her venture, particularly as the French Open nears, with Tracy Austin believing Gauff has taken a huge step forward after her latest tournament.

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