Coco Gauff Loses First Round Match at U.S. Open: 'Going to Get Back to Work'
Frank Franklin/AP/Shutterstock Coco Gauff
One year after advancing to the third round in her debut at the U.S. Open, young tennis star Coco Gauff has fallen out of the 2020 Grand Slam tournament following her first match.
Gauff, 16, lost her first round U.S. Open match 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova on Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.
The 2020 tournament is being held without fans due to the coronavirus pandemic. CNN reported that Gauff didn't blame her performance on the lack of crowd nose, telling reporters, "I think I compete just as hard with fans or not."
Gauff said, "I could have played better today. Just going to get back to work and get ready for the French Open."
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Last October, Gauff made history at the Linz Open in Austria when she became the youngest tennis player in 15 years to make it to a WTA final. Nicole Vaidisova previously held the record in 2004.
Gauff originally wasn’t even in the main draw of the tournament, but snuck in as a “lucky loser” after another player pulled out due to an injury.
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During the first round, she defeated Stefanie Voegele, and made it to the quarterfinals after her next opponent Kateryna Kozlova retired with a leg injury. The athlete beat top-seed Kiki Bertens to make it to the semifinals, and then bested Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-4.
She ultimately won her first WTA singles title, defeating Jeļena Ostapenko, at the tournament.
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The entirety of the 2020 U.S. Open tournament will be broadcast on both ESPN and ESPN2. It can also be streamed live on Fubo TV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
