Gauff serves... to nobody! Quirky moment lights up midnight marathon in Rome

Dubai: Coco Gauff hit a serve — but forgot one crucial detail: there was no one on the other side of the court.

In a bizarre but hilarious moment during her late-night semi-final at the Italian Open, the American star fired off a routine serve in the third set, only to realise Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen wasn’t even there. The Chinese player had briefly stepped off court for a racquet change, and Gauff, leading 30-0 in the second game, didn’t notice.

The serve sailed across the net to an empty baseline, drawing laughter from the sparse crowd that had stayed past midnight to watch the 21-year-old battle her way into a maiden Rome final.

“I told myself I’m ready to go home,” Gauff said afterwards, laughing off the moment and the exhausting contest that preceded it.

She eventually outlasted Zheng 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(4) in a scrappy three-setter riddled with errors — 156 unforced ones in total. “It was tough for me, finding my rhythm especially at night, it was so slow,” she added. “I was frustrated. She forced me to get out of my comfort zone.”

Gauff, who also teamed up with Filipina Alexandra Eala in doubles earlier in the week, is still searching for her first title of the season after falling short to Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid. She’ll now face local favourite Jasmine Paolini in what promises to be a much livelier atmosphere than the sleepy late-night stands that witnessed Thursday’s comedy and chaos.

“I was just trying to go for every point,” she said. “I knew before it was going to be a physical match. Last time we played was over three hours. Wasn’t my best level at all, to be honest — just happy to get through.”

She also pointed to the tricky conditions: “The court was so slow. After like two games, the balls got really heavy. This was my second night match, and the first was against someone with a completely different game style.”

Despite the quirky detour and a few wobbles, Gauff is now one win away from becoming the first American to win the singles title at the WTA 1000 event in Rome since Serena Williams beat Madison Keys in an all-American final.