The Coco Gauff vs. Alex Eala match in Indian Wells was highly anticipated. The two, who are friends and play doubles together, played a match a few weeks ago and Gauff had the upper hand.
That wasn’t the story on Sunday night. Eala played excellent tennis and looked extremely prepared from the first ball.
On the other hand, Gauff, who was always healthy, suffered an injury. She had left arm problems that required several visits from trainers and ultimately forced her to retire. Her second of her career, the other was at Cincinnati in 2022 when she rolled her ankle.
More: What? Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj made a bizarre mistake during his interview with Elena Rybakina.
Gauff and Eala ended up getting emotional.
Tennis Channel viewers were unable to hear the extent of the conversation between Coco Gauff and Alex Eala after Gauff retired.
But there seemed to be a shooting pain in my left forearm.
Of course, Eala is happy to see progress, but this is not the situation she wanted to be in. She was seen crying as Gauff left the courtroom.
Alexandra Eala waits for Dayana Yastremska’s serve during her second round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, Friday, March 6, 2026.
What’s next for Coco Gauff?
The Miami Open is just a week away, and it would be a big loss if Gauff, the No. 1 player in the United States, fails to participate in the tournament. She is a former Miami Open doubles champion.
The biggest concern is how bad and severe the injury is, which may indicate it’s nerve-related, as it sounds a bit scary and unpredictable.
More: Jessica Pegula shares reasons for Indian Wells R2’s slow start.
Coco Gauff is the face of American tennis and the current French Open champion. We would like to send her healing energy and a speedy recovery.
It’s a bit of a double whammy for American tennis fans as Ben Shelton appeared to be struggling with an illness in his loss to Learner Tien. Shelton is scheduled to play doubles with Emilio Nava, so we’ll see if that happens. Gauff will not participate in the doubles draw.
Watch the second week of Indian Wells on Tennis Channel.
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