New York, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 2nd Sep, 2024) Coco Gauff joined Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on the US Open scrapheap Sunday as the defending champion crashed out to Emma Navarro in a blizzard of mistakes.
Third-ranked Gauff slumped to a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 fourth round defeat on the back of 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors.
The 20-year-old’s exit means Serena Williams remains the last woman to successfully defend the US Open title back in 2014.
“I lost in the first round the last two years and now to be making the quarter-finals is pretty insane,” said American Navarro who will face Spain’s Paula Badosa for a place in the semi-finals.
“This is the city I was born in and it feels so special to be playing here. Coco is an amazing player. I have a ton of respect for her and I know she’s going to come back here and win this thing again.”
Gauff’s loss was another bodyblow to the season’s final Grand Slam event after defending men’s champion Djokovic was knocked out in the third round in his earliest exit since 2006.
Fellow crowd-pleaser Alcaraz, the 2022 winner in New York and reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, was stunned in the second round.
