Coco Gauff defeats Paula Badosa at Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York in straight sets; extends eight-match winning streak

2026 US Open: Coco Gauff grits out second round duel with Paula Badosa - “I need matches like this to build my confidence”

The two-time Grand Slam champion proved she was up to the challenge posed by Spain’s Badosa, earning her seventh-consective straight sets victory on Thursday, 3 September.

Someone call the parents, because it’s back-to-school season, and Coco Gauff still has a perfect report card through the second round of the women’s singles tennis draw at the 2026 US Open.

Facing Spanish World No. 87 Paula Badosa on Thursday (3 September) evening, the 22-year-old from Delray Beach, Florida, sent Arthur Ashe Stadium into a frenzy, closing out the thrilling contest in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(5).

It was the seventh consecutive match to end in such fashion for the North American superstar, who’s yet to drop a single set since her first round win over Liudmila Samsonova at the 2026 Cincinnati Open, on her way to the title.

Her current winning streak now stands at eight matches, with the 2023 US Open champion making it as far as the semi-finals at the last three tournaments she’s played.

While this particular victory wasn’t as dominant as some of her recent performances, Gauff nonetheless impressed against an opponent who’s had her number in the past, controlling play at the service line and winning 71 percent of first-serve points.

She also committed fewer unforced errors than Badosa, who paid the price for her own inaccuracy, despite winning 71 percent of points at the net.

“Paula’s a tough player,” Gauff said, praising her opponent’s fighting spirit after the match. “You know, I had the lead, but I don’t think there was too much I did wrong. She really stepped it up.

“I’m really happy to be through today.”

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Rising to Bodosa’s challenge was the fuel Gauff needed

Gauff has been on the other end of this match-up more times than seems plausible given the difference in the duo’s current world rankings, with Bodosa proving to be a uniquely challenging opponent for the North American who rose to notoriety as a teenager.

The 28-year-old, born in the Big Apple, residing in Dubai, and representing Spain, held the edge in their head-to-head record at 5-3 before today’s match, with Gauff losing their only encounter this season at the Berlin Open in three sets, 6-1, 3-6, 2-6.

She also showcased why she’s been able to best Gauff so consistently in the past, hitting more winners (25-21) than the two-time Grand Slam singles champion, while producing roughly the same number of aces and double faults from the service line.

But it wasn’t to be her night on Arthur Ashe Stadium, as the home favourite held tough in the second set tiebreak to see the match out. “She’s definitely not someone you want to pull [in the] second round,” Gauff cautioned during her on-court interview.

“I knew she would raise her level,” she explained. “We played each other enough times for me to know that, regardless of the score, she’s capable of blasting winners and blasting return winners. And so, honestly, it wasn’t a big surprise.

“But I think that I need matches like this to build my confidence,” Gauff added. “I’m happy with how I managed today, because there was a little bit of nerves.”

Having gritted out what could be one of the defining matches of her 2026 US Open campaign, she’ll next come up against Spain’s unseeded Cristina Bucșa .

That said, the American will need to proceed with caution, with Bucșa having earned a marathon three-set win over Japan’s Sakasume Himeno , 7-6(8), 6(0)-7, 7-6(6), to make it this far at Flushing Meadows.

Not that she seems too intimidated by any challengers to a second women’s singles title in New York, saying in her on-court interview that it’d be a bad idea to go up against her sizzling backhand: “Anyone who wants the smoke, hit me up.”

24 August - 13 September

Tennis | US Open | New York | United States