Coco Gauff showed her true colours by praising Emma Raducanu following their Italian Open clash. The American cruised to victory in Rome, securing a 6-1 6-2 success to book her spot in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Gauff kicked off proceedings with a double fault before quickly finding her rhythm, breaking Raducanu to set the tone for the afternoon. The 21-year-old landed the opening set in just 39 minutes, and she continued to dominate in the second set despite Raducanu managing to hold her serve twice.

Gauff’s performance will have worried her remaining competitors in Italy, with her frightening power and quick movement showcasing how she is a force to be reckoned with on the clay.

Speaking after her emphatic win, she even admitted that she was at her very best on Monday, and needed to be due to how tough of an opponent she feels Raducanu can be. Asked to grade her performance against Raducanu by Sky Sports, Gauff replied: “Definitely an A.

"It was tough conditions, it was super windy and this court is super dry compared to the other ones. I played a match on here yesterday so I knew what to expect. And obviously Emma's a tough opponent. No matter what surface, she's tough to play. I’m really happy with how I played.

"It’s getting better every match I think. Madrid was a step in the right direction and obviously I got to the final and I don’t like losing, especially in the final. I’m hoping to redeem myself here. Today I think my forehand was a big weapon and set me up for a lot of short balls and a lot of points."

Raducanu was gracious in defeat when discussing how she was ‘outplayed’ by Gauff, saying: "I found it a really difficult match. I think the conditions were very different to my last round, it was a different court and it was very bouncy, there wasn't much clay on the court. And it was quite windy too.

"Coco also played a really good match and I definitely saw why she's No 3 in the world right now. She played really well. I do think I got outplayed today but I guess I have no shame in saying that and looking forward to working to try to get better."