Coco Gauff’s reign as US Open champion came to an end on Sunday as she was defeated by American Emma Navarro in the fourth round. The loss was marked by a series of mistakes from Gauff, including 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors, contributing to a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 defeat.
Gauff’s departure means she joins Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, who were also eliminated from the tournament. Djokovic, the defending men’s champion, was ousted in the third round, while Alcaraz, the 2022 winner, was defeated in the second round.
Despite Gauff’s loss, American hopes were revived as Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz advanced to the men’s quarterfinals. Gauff, the world No. 3, acknowledged her struggle with serving and execution, stating, “I wish I could serve better. I think if I did that, it would have been a different story.”
Navarro, who reached the quarterfinals for the first time, will face Spain’s Paula Badosa in the next round. “I lost in the first round the last two years and now to be making the quarterfinals is pretty insane,” Navarro said.
Tiafoe, ranked No. 20, defeated Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-3 to set up a quarterfinal clash with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov. Tiafoe’s victory followed a pep talk from Serena Williams, which he described as a major boost. Dimitrov advanced after a hard-fought win against Russian Andrey Rublev.
Alexander Zverev also progressed to the quarterfinals, defeating Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Zverev will face Taylor Fritz, who overcame Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in his fourth-round match.
In the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed and Australian Open champion, defeated Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-4 to reach her fourth consecutive quarterfinal. Sabalenka will play either Zheng Qinwen or Donna Vekic, who were competing for a place in the semifinals.
New York-born Paula Badosa advanced to her first US Open quarterfinal with a 6-1, 6-2 win over China’s Wang Yafan, saving all eight break points she faced.
