The 2024 U.S. Open is one Coco Gauff would rather erase from memory as she was unable to progress past the Round of 16. On Sunday, Gauff lost to fellow American Emma Navarro with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Navarro dominated the first set, and the second set evolved into a tight contest. The set was even at three games each when Navarro broke Gauff’s serve, taking a 4-3 lead and putting Gauff in a precarious position. However, Gauff responded by breaking Navarro’s serve and managed to lead at 5-4 before breaking Navarro once more, forcing a decisive third set.
Gauff started strong in the final set, but Navarro quickly took control, winning the next three games. They exchanged wins, with Navarro holding a 5-3 advantage as Gauff served. Unfortunately for Gauff, three double faults during that game contributed to Navarro’s victory and advancement to the quarterfinals.
Overall, Gauff committed 19 double faults, with 11 occurring in the last set. Following her final double fault, she expressed her frustration by throwing her racket to the ground.
This marks Gauff’s second consecutive grand slam exit in the Round of 16, after previously reaching at least the semifinals in three successive tournaments. Additionally, this is the sixth consecutive year where the reigning champion has not reached the quarterfinals, and no reigning champion has made it to the semifinals since Serena Williams in 2015.
Navarro is set to face Paula Badosa of Spain on Tuesday. This match marks Navarro’s second consecutive quarterfinal appearance in what has been a breakout year for the 23-year-old, who had never advanced beyond the second round of a grand slam until this year. She has successfully reached at least the Round of 16 in every grand slam this year, with her best result being a quarterfinal finish at Wimbledon in July.