Coco Gauff crashes out of the US Open in devastating loss to Naomi Osaka as Arthur Ashe Stadium is left stunned
Coco Gauff’s tumultuous, topsy-turvy US Open campaign came to a halt on Monday as the American tennis star and 2023 winner was beaten 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour by a masterful Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
There had been tears, coaching changes and service issues along the way for Gauff, and the latter of those problems persisted against a supremely confident Osaka at Arthur Ashe.
Really, though, this was just as much a matchup of self-belief, and it wasn’t shocking that Gauff finally sputtered out following a hugely trying couple of weeks.
She was broken on her first service game, lost the first set on a double fault and ultimately committed 33 unforced errors as the Japanese-born, four-time Slam winner’s form continued in the complete opposite direction. Five double faults – certainly an improvement from other matches this tournament – didn’t help her cause either.
Osaka – who has been linked to Gauff since she consoled her then-15-year-old opponent six years ago – has referred to the younger player as a ‘little sister’ of hers, and there was certainly a big sibling energy brought forth in front of a stunned afternoon crowd.
For two players whose confidence has faltered at times (especially of late, for Gauff), it was Osaka who showed off her Grand Slam pedigree and made a bit of a mockery of Gauff being the on-paper favorite.
Coco Gauff’s US Open came to an end as she was easily dispatched by Naomi Osaka
Osaka was totally in control and looked every bit of the four-time Grand Slam winner she is
Osaka never trailed in either set and, frankly, dispatched one of the game’s best players with an astonishing ease and brevity – one which won’t have been welcomed by fans amid the outrageous ticket prices for the match. The entire contest lasted just 64 minutes.
The 27-year-old, who is six years Gauff’s senior, was totally in control even as her first serve landed in less than half of the time.
It was no matter as she consistently got the better of Gauff from the baseline and hardly put a foot wrong, though her opponent made her life easier with her glut of unforced errors.
Osaka always looked likely to win when she led 5-2 in the second set, but Gauff couldn’t even defend a 40-15 lead on her own serve to defend the match. She’d go on to lose four straight points via unforced error in what was sadly a fitting end to the match.
Osaka herself is certainly known for her vulnerable approach to the sport, and has been open about the mental strain and pressure that she’s dealt with. It was only a few weeks ago that she shed tears after losing to Victoria Mboko in the final in Montreal, which would have given her her first WTA 1000 title since 2019.
But during a week in which she’s cheerily showed off her various Labubus, she stood on the court after beating Gauff and discussed just how much fun she had playing.
It wasn’t hard to tell as she comfortably beat Gauff to move into the last eight here for the first time since 2020.
More to follow
