Coco Gauff’s close friend Jalen Sera hails American after her marathon 3-hour win to reach Italian Open final

Coco Gauff's close friend Jalen Sera recently reacted to the American's emphatic late-night win at the 2025 Italian Open. Gauff and Qinwen Zheng played a thrilling semifinal at the WTA 1000 event, which finally came to its conclusion after three hours and 33 minutes of high-quality tennis.

Gauff, who seems to have found her form back, is the fourth seed at the Italian Open and received a bye into the second round. She survived a thriller against Victoria Mboko, following which she ousted Magda Linette and Emma Raducanu. In the quarterfinals, she defeated seventh seed Mirra Andreeva to reach the final 4.

Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen engaged in a high-voltage match, which finally ended past midnight, with the American winning 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(4). The World No. 3 shared a post on her Instagram, expressing joy at her marvelous result.

"3 hour and 30 mins , past midnight finish, all heart❤‍🔥," she captioned.

Gauff's close friend Jalen Sera, who is often seen interacting with her on social media, shared her post on his Instagram story and expressed his delight at her win with one word,

"Warrior."

Via Jalen Sera's Instagram (@jalensera)

Gauff had a scintillating start to the year, winning the United Cup for Team USA; however, since then, she has had a rocky time. Fortune didn't turn in her favor at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where she kicked off her European clay swing, as she was ousted in the quarterfinals by Jasmine Paolini.

The 21-year-old bounced back in quite some style at the Madrid Open, making it to the final and defeating the likes of Belinda Bencic, Mirra Andreeva, and defending champion Iga Swiatek en route. She lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

She'll have a shot at redemption for her loss in Stuttgart in the final of the Italian Open.

Coco Gauff will face Jasmine Paolini in the final of the 2025 Italian Open

Coco Gauff - Source: Getty

During her post-match press conference, Coco Gauff was asked about her thoughts on playing Jasmine Paolini in the final of the Italian Open. The American said she's aware of the competition Paolini is capable of bringing, and also noted how she will have the crowd's support.

"Yeah, that was a tough match. She played well. She's a tough opponent. I think especially here with the home crowd behind her, she's going to be playing some great tennis. I have to expect that. Hopefully, I can bring a better level and hopefully win the title. If not, I'm proud just really of this match, too," Coco Gauff said.

Interestingly, in women's doubles, Paolini and Sara Errani's team defeated Gauff and Alexandra Eala's team in the quarterfinals.