When was the last time we saw Coco Gauff play doubles? All the way back at the 2024 Paris Olympics! She had teamed up with Jessica Pegula back then. Unfortunately, they lost in the second round to the Czech pair of Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova. And that was it. That match marked the end of their doubles journey together. After that, both players shifted their focus to singles. “Doing well in the singles court, we obviously didn’t want to play as much anymore,” Pegula said, explaining their decision to part ways in doubles. But now, Gauff is back. And this time, she’s teaming up with one of her closest friends. And Coco’s mom is applauding them in the coolest way possible.
Coco Gauff has established herself as one of the premier doubles players of her generation, achieving remarkable milestones at a young age. She reached the world No. 1 ranking in doubles and has accumulated a series of significant titles. In 2024, she won her first Grand Slam doubles title at Roland Garros, partnering with Katerina Siniaková. They defeated the Italian team of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in the final, marking Gauff’s first major doubles triumph after previously finishing runner-up at the 2021 US Open and 2022 French Open.
However, she hadn’t dabbled in doubles this season at all. But things changed in Madrid. Enter Robin Montgomery. A familiar face and a longtime friend of Coco. The two have known each other since they were kids, playing USTA events together. On Friday, they joined forces for the World No.4’s first doubles match of the 2025 season at the Madrid Open. And it didn’t take long for them to make some noise. Up first was the all-American duo of Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk. Gauff and Montgomery didn’t waste time. They dominated with a 6-3, 6-0 win. Next up were the Aussie pair of Ellen Perez and Storm Hunter. Another day, another win. This one was a clean 6-4, 6-3 victory. With that, Gauff and Montgomery punched their ticket to the quarterfinals.
And yes, Gauff’s mom took notice of this incredible feat. Candi Gauff reposted a post on her Instagram story celebrating their doubles win and added a caption that stood out. “@cocogauff and Robin, 004 as in double o4James Bond, shout out to those born in 2004.” Talk about style points. A cheeky reference to the legendary “007” James Bond code. For those wondering, 007 refers to Bond’s license to kill in the British spy universe. Safe to say, the ‘04 duo definitely killed it on court.
Their bond runs deep.“I know Robin very well. We went on a couple of USTA trips back when we were like 8 years old. Pretty much friends ever since,” Gauff had said after beating her friend in San Diego back in 2022. “She played really well. I expected a good level from her. I was pretty impressed with how well she was striking the ball. It was difficult for me. I told her at the end of the match, maybe next time we play, it’s not in a first-round match, maybe we’ll play in a final.”
Montgomery feels the same. In a 2024 interview with Clay Tennis, she shared how their connection has lasted all these years. She said, “We are friends. When we see each other at tournaments, we talk, we go out to dinner, that’s pretty much it, but I’d say we’re friends. You grew up together, both chasing similar goals since young. I’ve known her since I was 9, we had our first USTA camp together, so we’ve known each other for a long time.”
While the former US Open champion is thriving in doubles, her singles run is just as strong.
Coco Gauff ‘powers’ through to Madrid Open singles quarterfinals
Coco Gauff made a rough start to her Madrid Open campaign. In her first match, she lost the opening set 0-6 against Dayana Yastremska. That’s right, a bagel. But Gauff found her rhythm quickly. She bounced back and kept her winning momentum going. Most recently, she got her revenge against Belinda Bencic. This was a rematch of their Indian Wells face-off, which Bencic had won. But this time, Gauff came out on top with a scoreline of 6-2,6-3. That win secured her place in the singles quarterfinals as well.
Timing was everything. Just after Gauff wrapped up her match, a national power outage hit Spain. The lights went out, and play was disrupted across the tournament. Gauff, however, dodged the chaos by minutes. The power outage occurred when she was giving her on-court interview, catching the exact moment it all went dark in a now-viral video. She also shared her relief on Instagram, writing, “Apparently the power is out in most of the country, and in Portugal, I finished my match right before it happened! Thank God.”
And look at the fate, her next opponent, Mirra Andreeva, also completed her match just in time. The 18-year-old Russian is all set to face Gauff in what promises to be an electric quarterfinal. The duo has met twice before, with the 21-year-old taking home both victories. But she faces a different Andreeva this time.
Coco Gauff is on a roll—both in doubles and singles. And with Robin Montgomery by her side, things are just getting better. Can the 004 duo go all the way in Madrid?
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