Editor’s note: Ahead of the year-end tournament, we’re publishing Road to the WTA Finals, an eight-part snapshot of the qualifiers and the form they bring to Indian Wells. Check back all week for new installments.
Flash back to the 2025 US Open, where one of the lasting memories of was the troubling sight of her wiping away tears after hitting her seventh double fault against . Now fast forward a year, to the 2026 US Open. Twelve months after hiring biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, and now armed with a much-improved serve that was suddenly helping her win matches, Gauff had a spirited run to the semifinals in New York. When we look back on Gauff's 2026 in the future, the main takeaway might be that this was a transformative year, when she turned her biggest weakness into a viable weapon.
Everything else in her game was elite, as per usual, from her movement to her defense. She left the Top 5 only briefly, following the Clay-Court Swing, and then returned after reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon. She added a fourth career WTA 1000 title and will be making her fifth consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals.
The 2026 season in review
The scorecard
W-L: 47-15
Titles: 1 (Cinci...