Coco Gauff's ex-coach picks the winner of Zheng Qinwen & Gauff's Italian Open SF with firm statement

Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, has firmly stated that he backs the American to prevail when she takes on Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals of the Italian Open. Gauff and Qinwen will lock horns in the semifinals on Thursday, May 16, and the winner will face either Jasmine Paolini or Peyton Stearns in the final.

Gauff has had a strong campaign thus far at the 2025 Italian Open, dropping just the one set on her way to the semifinals. The American, seeded fourth, earned her spot in the last four after getting past a tough opponent in Mirra Andreeva. She has posted some big wins along the way, having also beaten the likes of Emma Raducanu and Magda Linette.

Qinwen, on the other hand, has not dropped a single set so far at the tournament. The Chinese, who is seeded eighth, has been in stellar form and pulled off a surprise as she stunned top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. She beat the top-seeded Belarusian 6-4, 6-3 to storm into the semifinals.

Despite the Chinese star’s incredible win against Sabalenka, Brad Gilbert, who coached Gauff for over a year, picked her as the favorite to progress into the Italian Open final. Responding to a user’s question on his pick for the Coco Gauff vs Zheng Qinwen clash, Gilbert posted on X:

“Gauff beat her last year in Rome in straight sets”

Though Gilbert only worked with Gauff for a year, he led her to her career’s biggest title when she won the 2023 US Open. It made Gauff the first American teenager, since Serena Williams, to win the US Open crown.

Coco Gauff leads the head-to-head stats against Zheng Qinwen ahead of Italian Open semifinals

Coco Gauff is seeded fourth at the Italian Open. Source: Getty

Though Zheng Qinwen would come into this contest on the back of a sublime win over the world’s best player, Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff will find solace in the fact that she has beaten the Chinese in both of their earlier encounters.

Gauff earned a straight-set win over Qinwen at the quarterfinals of the Italian Open last year and then followed it up with another huge win at the 2024 WTA Finals. Qinwen had won the opening set, but Coco Gauff staged a stunning comeback to win the tie 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 to become the youngest player to win the title since Maria Sharapova in 2004.

Coco Gauff made her first final of the season at the Madrid Open earlier this month and will look to make it two in two when she takes on Qinwen for a spot in the Italian Open final.