Coco Gauff Shares a Classy 9-Word Message With 18-Year-Old Rising Star Who Gave Her a Tough Time in Italian Open Opener

Coco Gauff's resilience was put to the test by rising star Victoria Mboko at the Italian Open 2025. The 18-year-old looked purposeful when she broke Gauff not once but thrice in the first set to eventually win the set 6-1. As the upset was lurking, the American found the lost rhythm and stormed back to win the next two sets and thereby the match. With the win, the No.4 seed has progressed to the round of 32 of the tournament.

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Coco Gauff Lavishes Praise for Victoria Mboko

Following the culmination of the match, Coco Gauff did not forget to give the teenager her flowers for putting up a fight and shared a classy message with her during the customary handshake. The 2023 US Open Winner praised her opponent and disseminated nine words of encouragement for Mboko.

“Keep your head up, okay? You did great,” Gauff told the 18-year-old, patting her on the shoulder.

The current world No. 3 was also full of praise for Mboko during her on-court interview, admitting she knew the teenager would be a threat.

“It was a tough match. Victoria, she came out playing some great tennis. I knew she was going to do that just from watching some of her previous matches,” Gauff told the crowd.

“Overall I’m just happy with I was able to step up my game. Wasn’t playing so well in the first set and on top of that she was playing some great tennis but I was able to reset.”

Coco Gauff will next take on Polish player Magda Linette in the Round of 32 of the tournament.