Coco Gauff shares what Danielle Collins has always treated her like on the WTA Tour since she broke through

Coco Gauff made a winning start to her 2025 Canadian Open campaign, but didn’t make it look easy.

Facing off against her fellow American Danielle Collins, Gauff was put to the test in Montreal.

During the third set, Gauff was just two points away from defeat, as she struggled with her serve throughout.

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Fighting back, Gauff defeated Collins in three sets, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6, to advance to the third round of the 2025 Canadian Open.

After the match, Gauff gave her verdict on Collins, having just won their first WTA Tour encounter.

Coco Gauff says Danielle Collins is a ‘great person’ and has always been nice to her

During her post-match interview, Gauff was full of praise for Collins as she shed some insight into their relationship.

“This is my first time playing Danielle [Collins], I know her very well,” she said.

“She is obviously a tough competitor and great tennis player, great person. I got to know her really well at the United Cup, and she is always nice to me.

“It was a tough battle out there.”

Reflecting on the match itself, Gauff highlighted the one shot that wasn’t working for her in Montreal.

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“Making serves into the court was the toughest challenge,” she said.

“Maybe if I cut that in half, it would be a quicker match for me. I thought that I was playing well except for that part of my game, but I felt like off the ground, I was doing pretty well.

“Danielle is a great ball striker, and for me to break her as many times as I did, there were definitely some positives to take from today.”

Gauff’s serve let her down against Collins, making a season-high 23 double faults in their second-round match.

Player Aces Double faults 1st Serve % Win % on 1st Serve Win % on 2nd Serve Break points Coco Gauff 3 23 53% 63% 57% 9/16 Danielle Collins 2 13 55% 59% 45% 9/16 Coco Gauff’s serving stats v Danielle Collins

Determined not to let those same problems affect her in round three, Gauff believes she has more to give in Canada.

“I definitely have a lot left in the tank,” she said.

“It was a frustrating match for me. I just felt like I was practicing well, and then I didn’t think that transferred today.

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

“Hopefully, I got my bad match of the tournament out of the way, and I can come back stronger in the next round.”

Gauff will now look to reset ahead of her third-round match with Veronika Kudermetova, whom she plays on Thursday, July 31.

How did Coco Gauff and Danielle Collins perform at the 2025 United Cup?

Looking to get their hands back on the United Cup trophy, the United States sent a strong squad to Australia in 2025, led by Taylor Fritz, Gauff, and Collins.

Placed in Group A alongside Canada and Croatia, Gauff won all four matches she played as the United States eased into the quarterfinals.

Carrying on in that same vein of form, Gauff took down Zhang Shuai in the quarterfinals and Karolina Muchova in the semis, as the Americans qualified for their second United Cup final.

Picking up a rare win over Iga Swiatek in the final, Gauff gave the United States a commanding lead over Poland.

Finishing the job, Fritz defeated Hubert Hurkacz to clinch the win 2-0, as the United States won their second United Cup.

Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images

Gauff won all seven of her matches at the United Cup, whilst Collins, as the back-up singles star, didn’t play a match.

That’s not to say she didn’t make headlines, though, as Collins was seen rolling her eyes at Swiatek during the final.

Only time will tell if both players are selected for Team USA in 2026, but regardless of who makes the squad, it’s hard to imagine anyone taking the trophy away from them.

The fourth edition of the United Cup is scheduled to begin on Friday, January 2, 2026.

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