Gauff's US Open Defense Ends In Loss To Navarro Amid Serving Struggles

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Defending US Open champion Coco Gauff was eliminated on Sunday, attributing her loss to fellow American Emma Navarro to poor execution. Gauff, who also lost to Navarro at Wimbledon two months ago, fell 3-6, 6-4, 3-6 after committing 19 double faults at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

A strong start from Navarro saw her break Gauff in the opening game after two double faults by the world number three. Despite a second-set comeback, Gauff's service games were marred by errors in the third set, where she served 11 of her total double faults, handing Navarro the win.

Navarro will face 26th seed Paula Badosa in the quarter-finals. Badosa advanced after defeating China's Wang Yafan 6-1, 6-2 earlier on Sunday. This sets up an intriguing match as both players have shown strong form.

"I fought really hard today. I just didn't take care of my serve, so that was the biggest difference," Gauff said. "Mentally and emotionally I gave it my all. Of course, there were things execution-wise where I wish I could serve better. I think if I did that, it would have been a different story for me in the match."

Navarro's victory marks a significant milestone as she becomes the first American player to defeat the women's singles defending champion at the US Open since Serena Williams beat Venus Williams in the final in 2002. Additionally, Navarro now holds the record for most hard court WTA quarter-finals in 2024 with seven, surpassing Elena Rybakina.

The match statistics reveal that Gauff's 19 double faults equalled her career-high for a single WTA main draw match, matching her performance against Martina Trevisan at Roland Garros in 2020.

The official US Open Tennis account tweeted: "Another great run in New York, Coco! See you soon," along with a picture of Gauff.

This defeat highlights areas for improvement for Gauff as she looks ahead to future tournaments. Her serving inconsistencies were a critical factor in this match and will likely be a focus moving forward.