Here’s what you need to know about defending champion Coco Gauff’s 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Emma Navarro in the U.S. Open fourth round: Gauff had more double-faults, 19, than winners, 14.
This loss adds to a string of early exits recently, including a third-round finish at the Paris Olympics and a 1-2 record in hard-court events leading up to New York.
Despite her struggles, Gauff, the No. 3 seed, tried to stay positive. She noted that many players would be thrilled with her summer performance, even if it didn’t match her past success.
“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,” Gauff said.
The 20-year-old from Florida managed to come back in the match briefly by winning four games in a row to take the second set. Navarro, the 13th seed, said she had a tough moment but managed to regain focus.
After her previous matches in New York, Gauff practiced her serve, but it didn’t improve much. She matched her career high for double-faults, also hitting 19 in a loss at the 2020 French Open. Gauff had three double-faults in four different games, with eleven coming in the final set.
Gauff blamed her issues on problems with her serve mechanics and mental challenges. She explained, “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.”
Gauff mentioned that her issues might be more about emotions and mental strength. She said, “It’s sometimes more of an emotional, mental thing, because if I go out on the practice court right now, I would make, like, 30 serves in a row.
I’ve done it before. I think it’s also just kind of a mental hurdle that I have to get over when it comes. … But I definitely want to look at other things, because I don’t want to lose matches like this anymore.”
Gauff ended up with 60 unforced errors, including 29 on her forehand side.
Navarro, who also beat Gauff in the fourth round at Wimbledon in July, played more consistently on Sunday, though she still made 35 unforced errors. Navarro said, “It was a little bit of a battle of will there for a bit. But proud of just my effort today. I was able to stick in there through some tough moments.”
This match follows a third-round loss by defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic on Friday, meaning no player will win back-to-back titles in New York for a while. The last woman to win two in a row was Serena Williams from 2012-14, and the last man was Roger Federer with five from 2004-08.
On Sunday night, Frances Tiafoe defeated No. 28 seed Alexei Popyrin, who had upset Djokovic, with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3. Tiafoe, the No. 20 seed, made it to his third straight U.S. Open quarterfinal and will face No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov, who won against Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3. Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, was present and gave a thumbs-up at the end of the match.
Also advancing on Sunday was No. 12 Taylor Fritz, who defeated three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud with scores of 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Fritz will face 2020 U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals, after Zverev won against Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
Fritz said, “I’m at the point now where I’m still happy to make quarterfinals, but I wouldn’t be happy with it ending here. I definitely am at the point where I really want more than that.” He has not yet reached a Grand Slam semifinal.
Emma Navarro, who beat Gauff at Wimbledon, reached her first major quarterfinal with the win. She will play her second quarterfinal on Tuesday in New York against No. 26 Paula Badosa, who won 6-1, 6-2 against Wang Yafan.
The other women’s match on Tuesday will be between No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka — last year’s runner-up to Gauff, who won 6-2, 6-4 against Elise Mertens — and No. 7 Zheng Qinwen, who defeated No. 24 Donna Vekic 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2 in the latest finish to a women’s match in U.S. Open history, ending at 2:15 a.m. Monday.
Navarro will get another chance to play at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she had never played before Sunday. She felt surprisingly comfortable on the big stage.
Navarro said, “I’ve been out on big courts before, where I just felt totally overwhelmed and almost like it’s an out-of-body experience.
But I didn’t feel like that today. I felt comfortable from the time I stepped out onto the court, which I was a little bit surprised about. I kind of had prepared myself for the worst, just in terms of feeling overwhelmed and nervous.”
