Coco Gauff became the latest victim of the stomach virus that has been sweeping through the draw at the Madrid Open but the ailing American still found a way to beat Sorana Cirstea 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 on Sunday and reach the round of 16.
The American third seed vomited into a bin on the court during her clash with the 25th-seeded Romanian and asked for a medical timeout during the latter stages of the match before she completed the win in two hours and 21 minutes.
Gauff came from a set and a break down to turn the contest around. She lost the first set but rallied in the second to force a decider and then took the third set convincingly.
Several players have been struggling with illness in the Spanish capital this week. Iga Swiatek retired from her match against Ann Li on Saturday. Marin Cilic withdrew ahead of his second-round meeting with Joao Fonseca on Friday. Liudmila Samsonova also pulled out of the tournament on Sunday citing illness ahead of her third-round match with Linda Noskova.
Gauff will face Noskova in the last 16 after the Czech received a walkover into the fourth round. The victory keeps the two-time Grand Slam champion in the tournament as she navigates the clay swing.
“Yeah, I don’t know, honestly how I got through that,” said Gauff. “I was just trying to finish the match and one point turned into another. I think I got what everybody else is having here in Madrid, unfortunately. So, I’m just going to try to push through for tomorrow.”
A runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka in the Spanish capital 12 months ago, Gauff has 3,300 points to defend on clay from Madrid through to her Roland Garros title defence in early June.
“I pulled out in Indian Wells. I’m not someone who likes to pull out, so I didn’t want to pull out again today. So, I’m glad that I was able to get through it,” added Gauff. “I did start to feel better, not feeling like I had to throw up. They gave me some pills, so that definitely helped.
“But I was really tired… The first part was literally just trying to keep whatever I ate down. Once they gave me something to help with that, then I was just nauseous and tired. But I can deal with that.”
Gauff said she did not believe the issue came from food poisoning. She described it as a virus moving through the city and the player group, possibly picked up from proximity to another affected player. Symptoms hit during the second set, right around a rain delay at 4-4, but she pushed on.
The match included one moment of tension when Cirstea voiced frustration to the umpire about audible instructions from Gauff’s coaching box. The official took no action. At the end Gauff, still visibly drained, suggested skipping the traditional handshake to limit any risk of spreading the virus, though the players did shake hands before leaving the court.
The stomach virus has created disruptions across the draw at the high-altitude venue. Withdrawals and retirements have opened paths for some players while forcing others to compete under difficult conditions. Gauff’s ability to manage the nausea and fatigue and still produce the necessary tennis stood out in her comeback.
She leaned on her racket between points at times and moved with less than her usual energy. Yet she broke Cirstea at key moments in the second set and then controlled the third set from the start. The win marks another step forward in her clay-court preparation this season.
As the tournament moves into the second week, Gauff will focus on recovery ahead of her match against Noskova. The Czech arrives fresh after the walkover but will face an opponent who has shown she can compete even when far from 100 percent.
Gauff has built a reputation for resilience in big moments. This performance adds to that record as she eyes a strong run through the clay events leading into Paris. The points at stake make every match important, but her priority right now remains getting healthy enough to compete at full strength.
The Madrid Open continues with the virus situation under close watch by players and staff. Several top names have already felt the effects, and more matches could face similar challenges in the coming days. For Gauff, Sunday’s result delivered the immediate goal of advancing while highlighting the physical demands of the professional schedule on clay.
