Coco Gauff heads to the Italian Open having yet to lift a WTA Tour title in 2026, but she will need to perform well in Rome to help boost her chances at Roland Garros.
The American has a difficult relationship with clay, despite one of her most impressive title victories coming on the notoriously tricky surface at last year’s Paris final against Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff arrives at the Italian Open having reached the final of the Rome competition in 2025, and she will likely need to replicate that run in order to have an easier time of it at the French Grand Slam.
The 21-year-old currently sits at world number four in the WTA Tour rankings, but she faces stiff ranking competition at the Italian Open from two of her compatriots.
WTA Tour Top Six
1. Aryna Sabalenka – 9905
2. Elena Rybakina – 855
3. Iga Swiatek – 6893
4. Coco Gauff – 6109
5. Jessica Pegula – 6801
6. Amanda Anisimova – 5968
Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova sit just behind Gauff in the rankings ahead of the Masters tournament in Rome, and there is every chance they can usurp her.
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With Gauff defending final points from last year’s event, her position in the WTA Tour rankings looks significantly under threat at the Italian Open.
Just 141 ranking points split Gauff, Anisimova, and Pegula and fourth place seeding at Roland Garros could provide a far easier run at the Paris Grand Slam.
The fourth seed at the Grand Slam will not have to play either Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina until the semi-final stage at the earliest, which could be a huge boost for Gauff.
Sabalenka and Rybakina have been far and away the best two players on the WTA Tour so far in 2026 and they already have the titles to show for it.
Rybakina won the Australian Open title at the beginning of the year, while Sabalenka earned the Sunshine Double by lifting the Indian Wells and Miami Open titles.
Gauff has lost already to Sabalenka, at the 2026 Miami Open, so not meeting her until the latter stages of Roland Garros would be hugely beneficial for the American.
The American begins her Italian Open campaign against the winner of Yulia Putinseva and Tereza Valentova, which could be a potential banana skin.
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