She spoke about being inspired by her fellow Americans after defeating Qatar TotalEnergies Open champion Amanda Anisimova in the first round on Monday.
“They definitely give me motivation, like I know that they’re doing well and maybe I can do well, too,” she told me after cooling off the on-fire Anisimova. “That inspired and motivated me to do the same or do even better. It’s competitive where you want your fellow Americans to win, but you’re also competing to see if you can do better.”
For Gauff, the loss ends an unsatisfactory Middle East campaign with zero wins and two defeats in Dubai and Doha, where she lost to Ukrainian rival Marta Kostyuk. After starting the 2025 season with a United Cup title and 9-0 record, the world No. 3 hasn’t won a match since stumbling in her Australian Open quarterfinal to Paula Badosa.
While Kessler is surging and Gauff is falling behind, No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula is holding steady in the Middle East after a less-than-spectacular start to her season. After a quarterfinal finish in Doha, the 2024 US Open finalist is on track for another in Dubai after withstanding a late fight-back from Samsonova following the lengthy bout of inclement weather.
