Two-time Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff, despite having home support, lost in the fourth round of the US Open for the second year running after a tame defeat to Naomi Osaka. Gauff, whose issues with service even led to her hiring a new coach just before the tournament, lost 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets in just 64 minutes of play.
Ironically, the service was hardly the issue against the World No. 23 as she made a whopping 33 unforced errors compared to Osaka’s 12. However, instead of being bogged down by the latest setback, Gauff was defiant after the match.
“I am not going to let this crush me. It's been a tough post-French Open for me, for sure. I know the improvements that I need to make, and I feel like I'm making the right decision by making them,” she said post-match, according to ESPN.
Since winning the 2025 French Open, she suffered a first-round exit at Wimbledon and was most recently knocked out by Jasmine Paolini at the Cincinnati Masters. However, Gauff has continued to work on her game and hired biometrics specialist Gavin MacMillan to help with her serve.
“I feel like I put so much pressure on myself at my age, at 21, and I realize how much the girls on tour are being successful at 25, 26, at those ages,” she explained, before claiming that she could reach an even higher level if she continued doing “the right things” in the coming years.
Instead of focusing on the negatives, such as how she never even came close to breaking Osaka on the day, Gauff seemed excited for the future.
“It has obviously improved in the last four years. … So, I think if I can make that same jump of improvement, it's a lot to be excited [about] for the future,” she said.
Gauff is now expected to play at the China Open in Beijing, which begins September 23.
