Coco Gauff encountered an unusual incident during her run at the Italian Open in Rome. The American player faced off against China`s Qinwen Zheng in the semifinals.
World No. 8 Zheng appeared visibly surprised and confused by something Gauff did during their match.
The peculiar event unfolded in the third and decisive set of their demanding contest on Thursday night. As Gauff was preparing to serve, her opponent had briefly left the court area to retrieve a different racket.
While Zheng was positioned by the side, examining her replacement equipment, Gauff proceeded to hit her serve.
Upon turning back, Zheng looked at Gauff with astonishment. The crowd gathered in Rome reacted with laughter at the unexpected situation.
A commentator was heard questioning Gauff`s awareness, asking, “Did she not see her?” Gauff was later seen smiling with the umpire, seemingly having been unaware that Zheng was not yet ready at the baseline.
Ultimately, Gauff emerged victorious from the lengthy semifinal, winning via a tiebreak in the third set. She is now set to compete against Italy`s Jasmine Paolini in the final on Saturday at the Foro Italico Sports Complex.
In an earlier, lighter moment during the tournament, Gauff playfully invited the home fans to boo her during an on-court interview. She anticipated that her preference regarding a popular Italian dish might be considered “controversial” by the Rome audience.
During the interview, which followed her quarterfinal victory over Mirra Andreeva, Gauff was asked why she favored Cacio e pepe pasta over Carbonara.
“I just think Cacio e pepe is better,” the 21-year-old responded with a slight laugh. “I don`t know if that is controversial here – I just like that better. But carbonara is still good, I just think Cacio e pepe is great. If I had to choose between one, I would choose Cacio e pepe.”
Turning directly to the crowd, Gauff added good-naturedly, “I don`t know if you guys agree. If you don`t, you can boo me – it`s OK.”
