New York (AFP) – Defending champion Coco Gauff was knocked out of the US Open in the fourth round on Sunday by American compatriot Emma Navarro after a serving horror show. The 13th-seeded Navarro took advantage of third-ranked Gauff’s 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 and set up a quarter-final against Spain’s Paula Badosa.
“It’s not the summer that I want,” said Gauff, who exited Wimbledon in the fourth round and suffered early losses at the Olympics, Toronto, and Cincinnati. “But I feel like there’s 70 other players in the draw that would love to have the summer that I had even though it’s probably my least well done during this time of the year. So many people want to be in the fourth round. So many people want to make the Olympics. So many people want to be flag bearer. It’s perspective,” added Gauff, who carried the US flag at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony alongside NBA superstar LeBron James.
Gauff’s defeat means that Serena Williams remains the last woman to successfully defend the US Open title back in 2014. “I lost in the first round the last two years and now to be making the quarter-finals is pretty insane,” said Navarro. “This is the city I was born in and it feels so special to be playing here. Coco is an amazing player. I have a ton of respect for her and I know she’s going to come back here and win this thing again.”
Navarro had defeated Gauff at Wimbledon in July and was dominant again on Sunday from the outset. The 23-year-old New Yorker broke for 4-2 in the first set and sealed the opener in the ninth game where one rally stretched to 27 shots. Gauff was undone by 21 unforced errors to Navarro’s meagre eight.
Navarro stretched to a 4-3 lead in the second set with another break after Gauff had committed her eighth double fault of the tie. However, Gauff, who had dropped the first set in her third round win against Elina Svitolina, hit back to reel off the next three games and level the match. It was just a brief respite for the 20-year-old as she served up three more double faults in the third game of the decider to slip a break down again. There was no coming back for the champion as Navarro moved into the last eight in her home city tournament for the first time.
“It was tough losing the second set,” added Navarro. “I was able to regroup after the second set and come into the third set with a fresh mindset. I wanted to play aggressive tennis and I think I was able to do that.”
© 2024 AFP
