Coco Gauff questioned the impact made by her biomechanics coach as her serve faltered during her semi-final defeat at the 2026 Qatar Open.<\/p>\n
The two-time Grand Slam winner was beaten 6-4, 6-7(13), 6-4 by world No 9 Elina Svitolina in an epic last four showdown at the WTA 1000 event that lasted three hours and three minutes.<\/p>\n
Gauff<\/a> was broken six times, hit 12 double faults and won just 43% of her second serve points, but despite her serving struggles, she displayed her trademark resilience to push Svitolina all the way.<\/p>\n The world No 4 lost the opening set having led 3-1, before she twice came back from a break down en route to winning a marathon second set on a pulsating 28-point tiebreak \u2014 converting her sixth set point after saving four match points.<\/p>\n The American then broke in the first game of the deciding set, but she lost serve twice thereafter as her 31-year-old Ukrainian opponent sealed the win.<\/p>\n After double-faulting into the net when serving at 3-3 in the second set, Gauff voiced her frustration towards Gavin MacMillan in her coaching box.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been doing everything you wanted for six months\u2026 I\u2019m not better at all,\u201d Gauff said.<\/p>\n WTA Tour News<\/p>\n Amanda Anisimova & Coco Gauff\u2019s Dubai Championships prize money & ranking points revealed<\/a><\/p>\n Amanda Anisimova gives her honest opinion on Alex Eala and her fans<\/a><\/p>\n Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n Gauff hired MacMillan, a biomechanics expert, ahead of the 2025 US Open in August with the intention of solving her problems with her serve.<\/p>\n Coco Gauff after hitting a double fault against Elina Svitolina in Dubai<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been doing everything you\u2019ve wanted for the last 6 months\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n This is presumably to her biomechanics expert, Gavin MacMillan, who she hired before the US Open last season to help with her serve. pic.twitter.com\/eobBoCyHDP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n