QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 10, 2026

Elisabetta Cocciaretto

Press Conference

E. COCCIARETTO/C. Gauff

6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Elisabetta, congrats on the win. Just your thoughts on getting your first top-10 win of the season.

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: Yeah, for sure I played an amazing match today. She's a really great person, a great athlete, and great professional tennis player.

It was a really good match for me, and, yeah, really a privilege to be in the third round here in Doha, and playing on such a good and unbelievable court, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Great win today. What emotions go through your head, and thoughts, when you're trying to close a match like this out, and you don't really want to give Coco any sort of hope that she can come back?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: I always thinking about in the match that she could come back, because she's a really great fighter, and for sure I tried to stay focused on my game. Yeah, tried to be aggressive, because if I wasn't aggressive she was. So I tried to stay in the match and don't thinking about the score, but just to do my game, and just focus on play every point.

Q. I believe this was your first win against Coco on the WTA tour level. When you look back at maybe those three matches, obviously I understand it's a new court, new time, but do you look back on those matches, and how did you approach this match tactically to beat her today?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: For sure I watched that matches yesterday, and also this morning, trying to don't repeat what I did in the last matches. I tried to be more aggressive. That was the key, be aggressive, because she's a really great athlete, of course, and she's really strong physically. She has a really good serve and return, and every shot is really good. So if you're not aggressive, she's really aggressive. So I tried to stay there and fight every point and, yes, I think that was the key, stay more near the court and took our time.

Q. There was some amazing rallies out there. I mean, the crowd seemed to be liking it a lot. Curious, regarding your game and this part of the year, do you feel this is a match that can like put a standard on what you were working on, like you can see that it's working?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: Yes, I think I'm playing better every day here. I played my quallies not really good. I think when you win some matches you have more confidence on your game. Yeah, I mean, it's just a match. I'm trying to focus on improve every day and just keep the mind in the next match. Yes, it was a really good day for me, but tomorrow is another day, so we will see what will happen.

Q. Obviously you're looking back at last year, your victory against Pegula. This year you beat Coco. How much confidence do these victories give you day by day into what your ranking can be in 2026?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: My goal this year is don't put any more limit on myself. I think the last year, especially last two years, I put so many limits on myself. So I tried to be more confident on myself, and to, yeah, don't have limits. I don't want to say I want to be top 20 or top 10, I don't want to say that. I just try to focus on me, on improving me every day, and let's see what will happen. Yeah, I have a lot of dreams, but of course I have to stay focused and work every day for it.

Q. I'm going to be nosy on this, but why do you think you put limits on yourself last year?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: Because sometimes I wasn't sure about myself, about winning some matches. I came on court, but not really sure that I will win that match. So I tried to don't put that limits on myself, and go there and have maybe a mentality of a champion. I tried to work on that, and to be more an athlete, more, yeah, improving myself every day. It's working. Of course I have a lot of things to improve, and that's a good thing, but let's see what will happen, for sure.

Q. Fun question, not regarding this match, but maybe if you look at the form that you had in this match, especially on the backhand. If you could choose any female tennis player from the history of tennis to play today against, who would you pick and why? Exclude the Williams sisters.

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: I want to say Serena (laughing). I don't know. Maybe Caroline Wozniacki, because I always saw her when I was a child. Yeah, maybe her or Cibulkova. Because I think I can play or, of course I want to see her, like my type of player that I have to see, you know what I mean? I think she's quite similar. Of course, she did a lot more great things than me, and she was playing better. But I think I want to look at her to how to play because I can be similar.