Defending U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff loses to Emma Navarro in fourth round
Defending champion Coco Gauff lost in the U.S. Open’s fourth round to Emma Navarro 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in an all-American matchup Sunday, unable to overcome a poor performance that included more double-faults, 19, than winners, 14.
Defending champion Coco Gauff lost in the U.S. Open’s fourth round to Emma Navarro 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in an all-American matchup on Sunday, unable to overcome a poor performance that included more double-faults, 19, than winners, 14.
The No. 3-seeded Gauff had won 10 matches in a row at Flushing Meadows, including the run to her first Grand Slam title a year ago.
Four of those came after she dropped the opening set — including in the 2023 final and in her third-round victory on Friday — but the 20-year-old from Florida could not complete the comeback this time. That’s despite a mid-match, four-game run in which she claimed 14 of 17 points to steal the second set and get off to a good start in the third.
After each of her past two contests in New York, Gauff headed back out onto the practice courts to work on her serve. That didn’t help much on Sunday, which saw a trio of double-faults in each of three games — two of which she lost, at 1-all in the first set and, more significantly, at 1-all in the third. Eleven of the double-faults came in the final set alone.
Emma Navarro returns a shot against Coco Gauff on Sunday. Matthew Stockman / Getty ImagesAside from those issues, Gauff finished with a total of 60 unforced errors — a whopping 29 on her forehand side, the biggest weakness in her game. The 23-year-old Navarro, who also eliminated Gauff in the fourth round at Wimbledon in July, was far steadier on Sunday and had 35 unforced errors.
Rating: 5