Coco Gauff Loses At The U.S. Open To Emma Navarro, Ending Her Title Defense With 19 Double-Faults

NEW YORK — This is pretty much all anyone needs to know about defending champion Coco Gauff’s 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Emma Navarro in the fourth round of the United States Open on Sunday. Gauff ended up with more double faults (19) than victories (14).

It was the latest in a string of early exits for her in recent weeks, including a third-round loss at the Paris Olympics, followed by a 1-2 record at hard-court tuneup events before arriving in New York.

“I feel like there’s 70 other players in the draw who would love to have the summer that I had, even though it’s (the) least, probably, (I’ve) done well during this time of year,” said the No. 3-seeded Gauff, who went 18-1 during the North American swing on hard courts a year ago, including her first Grand Slam title. “A lot of individuals want to be in the fourth round. Some so many people wish to attend the Olympics. So many people want to be flag bearers. “It’s all about perspective.”

The 20-year-old from Florida fought her way back into the match with a four-game run in which she scored 14 of 17 points and won the second set.

“Had a little bit of a lull there,” said the 13th-seeded Navarro, an American who was 0-2 at the US Open until this year, “but I was able to regroup.”

Coco Gauff Loses At The U.S. Open To Emma Navarro, Ending Her Title Defense With 19 Double-Faults

After her previous two contests in New York, Gauff returned to the practice courts to concentrate on her serve. That didn’t help her much on Sunday when she tied her double-fault career record (19 in a loss at the 2020 French Open). Gauff recorded three double faults in four games against Navarro. Eleven of the double faults occurred in the final set alone.

Gauff ascribed her struggles to a combination of mechanical concerns (“I go down on my left side a lot on my serve, and it’s something I’m aware of, but it’s tough in the moment to, I guess, try not to do it,” she noted) and mental issues.

“It’s sometimes more of an emotional, mental thing because if I went out on the practice court right now, I’d serve 30 times in a row. “I’ve done it before,” Gauff explained. “I believe it’s also a mental hurdle I must overcome when the time comes. But I absolutely want to look into alternative options since I don’t want to lose matches like this again.”

She ended with 60 unforced errors, including 29 on her forehand side.

The 23-year-old Navarro, who eliminated Gauff in the fourth round of Wimbledon in July, was significantly more consistent on Sunday despite making 35 unforced errors.

“For a while, it felt like a struggle of wills. But I’m proud of just my effort today,” remarked Navarro, Gauff’s Paris Games teammate from the United States. “I was able to stick in there through some tough moments.”

This outcome comes after defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic lost in the third round on Friday, extending the long streak of no one winning consecutive titles in New York. Serena Williams was the last woman to win at least two in a row, with three from 2012-14, while Roger Federer did so with five from 2004-08.

Frances Tiafoe defeated No. 28 seed Alexei Popyrin, who had upset Djokovic 6-4, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3 on Sunday night. The No. 20 seed went to his third consecutive U.S. Open quarterfinal, where he will face No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3, with 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams watching and giving a thumbs up at the finish of the match.

No. 12 Taylor Fritz advanced on Sunday, defeating three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Fritz’s quarterfinal opponent will be Alexander Zverev, the 2020 US Open runner-up, who defeated Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

“I’m at the point now where I’m still happy to make the quarterfinals, but I wouldn’t be happy with it ending here,” said Fritz, who has yet reached a Grand Slam semifinal. “I definitely am at the point where I really want more than that.”

Navarro, the University of Virginia’s 2021 NCAA singles winner, had her first participation in a major tournament after defeating Gauff at Wimbledon. Her second match is scheduled for Tuesday in New York against No. 26 Paula Badosa, who defeated Wang Yafan 6-1, 6-2. The other women’s match that day will be between No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who finished second to Gauff last year and defeated Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday, and either No. 7 Zheng Qinwen or No. 24 Donna Vekic.

Coco Gauff Loses At The U.S. Open To Emma Navarro, Ending Her Title Defense With 19 Double-Faults

Navarro will get another chance in the quarterfinals to play in front of a large audience at Arthur Ashe Stadium. She hadn’t struck a ball in the place until Sunday — and she felt at ease.

“I’ve been on large courts previously and felt completely overwhelmed, almost like an out-of-body experience. But I didn’t feel that way today,” Navarro explained. “I was amazed by how comfortable I felt from the moment I stepped onto the court. I had mentally prepared myself for the worst, in terms of feeling overwhelmed and nervous.”

Certainly, it did not perform that way.

Gauff was the one who failed to deliver her best.

“I expect better, but at the end of the day it happened,” reported Gauff, “and I know I can turn it around.”

SOURCE | AP