Coco Gauff did not make it easy on herself. But she made it through.
The American No. 2 seed defeated World No. 21 Liudmila Samsonova 7-5, 6-1 on Thursday at the 2026 Stuttgart Tennis Grand Prix, punching her ticket to the quarterfinals despite spending much of the first set looking like she might not. For a player who has spoken openly about trying to break a cold streak at this particular tournament, surviving an early storm mattered just as much as the scoreline.
Gauff dropped three consecutive games early in the opening set, handing Samsonova an edge she appeared ready to build on. The unseeded 27-year-old pushed Gauff to 4-5, a moment that briefly opened the door to an early exit from a draw the American had every reason to want to stay in. Gauff had other ideas. She broke back, steadied herself, and eventually sealed the set 7-5 in what amounted to a quiet act of determination.
The second set was a different story entirely. Gauff dropped just one game and closed out the match with the kind of composure that had been absent earlier. She won 62.5% of first-service points, fired seven aces, saved three of six break points, and converted 55.4% of return points across the match.
Gauff on clay and the Stuttgart pattern
The win moved Gauff into the Stuttgart quarterfinals for just the third time, and she remains without a title at the indoor clay event. After the match, she acknowledged the familiar pattern, noting she rarely has straightforward first-round outings in Stuttgart and that Thursday’s match was no different. She said she was simply glad to be through.
She also addressed her serve, which has been a work in progress for well over a year. The 22-year-old has been working with coach Gavin MacMillan on fixing what had become one of the more glaring weaknesses in her game at the top level. On Thursday, she said she was pleased with how it performed, pointing specifically to her kick serve as a source of free points. She added that a handful of double faults could easily have been avoided, suggesting the improvements are real but the work is not finished.
On clay more broadly, Gauff said she does not put excessive pressure on herself at Stuttgart because the indoor surface does not particularly suit her style. She described herself as trying to find her footing and break what she called a curse at the event. Her Miami Open title last month gave her some confidence heading into the clay swing, and her goal now is to carry that momentum forward.
What comes next
Gauff faces No. 7 seed Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals on Friday. The head-to-head record favors Gauff, and a win would put her in position to reach back-to-back finals following her Miami triumph.
The other half of the Stuttgart draw carries significant depth, which means the American’s path through her side is arguably the more navigable one. Whether she takes advantage of it may come down to whether the serve that showed up in the second set against Samsonova continues to hold.
At Roland Garros, where Gauff arrives as the defending champion, the stakes will be considerably higher. Stuttgart is the warm-up. But at a tournament she has never won, even a quarterfinal appearance is progress worth noting.
