Coco Gauff Archives

Tearful Gauff dumped out of Olympics after umpire row as Nadal returns

Tearful Coco Gauff crashed out of the Paris Olympics at the hands of Donna Vekic on Tuesday after a heated row with the umpire as Rafael Nadal prepared to return to the baking courts.

With temperatures rocketing into the mid-30s Celsius at Roland Garros, officials activated a heat protocol, allowing a 10-minute break between the second and third sets.

In the first match on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Vekic shocked Gauff 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals, but the match was overshadowed by a lengthy row between the US Open champion and the chair umpire.

Coco Gauff, the flag-bearer for the United States at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony alongside NBA star LeBron James, made a fast start but squandered three set points before her Croatian opponent won the first-set tie-break.

The pair swapped breaks early in the second set but the match came to a standstill at the end of the sixth game as an emotional Gauff pleaded her case with the umpire.

At 30-40, Vekic hit a return deep to Gauff’s forehand, which the American mishit into the net.

Vekic’s shot was called out but the call was overruled by the chair umpire and the point was awarded to the Croat, giving her the break. Gauff argued her shot was compromised by the initial call.

“I have to advocate for myself all the time,” a weeping Gauff, 20, said on court. “I’m getting cheated in this game. You guys are not fair to me.”

Later, a more composed Coco Gauff called for a video review system at Roland Garros to match those in place at other Grand Slam venues.

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“I can’t say I would have won the match if I would have won that point but, for sure, being not a break, whereas maybe replaying that point can make a big difference in that game,” she said.

Vekic, ranked 21, briefly lost her composure, slipping to 0-40 on her own serve before recovering to hold, and she broke again to seal victory.

The Wimbledon semi-finalist said the row over the line call was a “tricky situation”.

“After that, the crowd, it was not so easy,” she said. “I lost my concentration for a couple of points, but I’m happy that I managed to come back in that game because it was an important game.”

Germany’s defending men’s champion Alexander Zverev coasted into the third round with a 6-3, 7-5 win over 39th-ranked Czech Tomas Machac.

In the women’s draw, three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber of Germany progressed to the quarter-finals along with US eighth seed Danielle Collins and China’s Zheng Qinwen.

Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek targets a 24th straight win on the clay courts of Paris against China’s Wang Xiyu in the evening session.

Rafael Nadal, a 14-time French Open champion, was swept off court by old rival Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the pair’s 60th meeting on Monday.

The 38-year-old, immortalised in a statue at Roland Garros, has been plagued by injuries in recent years and is now 161st in the world.

Rafael Nadal said after his painful defeat to Djokovic that he would make a decision on his future after the Paris Olympics.

But the Spaniard, who won singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Games and doubles gold in Rio in 2016, can still collect a medal in the doubles alongside current French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.

They take on Dutch pair Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof.

Britain’s three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, playing his final tournament, is in action later alongside doubles partner Dan Evans.

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Record-setting Djokovic and Gauff steam into US Open semi-finals

Novak Djokovic charged into a record 47th Grand Slam semi-final on a steamy Tuesday at the US Open with a straight-sets win over Taylor Fritz, while home favourite Coco Gauff stayed on track for her first major title.

Djokovic shrugged off ninth seed Fritz 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 to extend his dominance of American players in New York and take another step closer to a record-extending 24th men’s Grand Slam title.

The 36-year-old Serbian star will appear in his 13th US Open semi-final, eclipsing the mark he shared with longtime nemesis Roger Federer for most appearances in the last four of a Grand Slam.

Novak Djokovic awaits the up-and-coming Ben Shelton, who took down 10th seed and 2022 semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe in an all-American affair in Tuesday’s night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I’ve been playing on this court for many years, so many epic matches and I cannot wait for another one in a few days’ time,” said Djokovic, a three-time US Open champion.

Novak Djokovic defeated Fritz for the eighth time in a row, weathering stifling conditions as the temperature topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) and humidity rose above 55%.

“It was very humid conditions. Difficult to play but that is why we train and try to get ourselves in the best conditions to deliver. Not easy but you have to fight,” said Djokovic.

Fritz had lost serve just once across four three-set wins in reaching his first US Open quarter-final, but the 25-year-old was broken three straight times to start the match.

Novak Djokovic resisted four break points at 2-1 in the second set and hauled himself over the line after a rollercoaster final few games in the third set, maintaining his quest for a triumphant return to world number one next week.

The unseeded Shelton unleashed 50 winners, using his booming service and blistering forehand to devastating effect to beat Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2.

Shelton, who reached the quarter-finals on his Australian Open debut in January, is through to the last four of a major for the first time.

He becomes the youngest American men’s semi-finalist in New York since 1992.

Shelton, 20, saved a set point as he won a crucial third-set tie-break and pulled away in the fourth to settle a historic first Grand Slam quarter-final in the Open era featuring two African-American men.

“It doesn’t get much better than that,” world number 47 Shelton said of a first-time meeting with Djokovic scheduled for Friday.

“I feel like I left it all out here tonight. It was an emotional battle.”

“End of that third set is when I really had to dig deep,” said Shelton.

“I think that was the key for me tonight. Just being tough and being relentless, and knowing that I could go the distance physically no matter how bad it hurt.”

Tiafoe regretted giving Shelton too many chances to stay in the match.

“Leave door open for a lot of guys, you’re playing with fire,” he said. “Just gonna learn from these moments… It hurts now.”

Coco Gauff swept into the last four earlier on Tuesday with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in 68 minutes in the baking midday heat.

The 19-year-old is the first American teenager to reach the US Open semi-finals since Serena Williams in 2001.

The sixth seed will meet this year’s French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova for a place in Saturday’s final in a repeat of the championship match won by Gauff last month in Cincinnati.

“It feels great, I’m so happy,” said Gauff. “Last year I lost in the quarter-finals stage and wanted to do better this year. I have a long way to go but I’m happy and will be ready for the next one.”

Coco Gauff has now won 16 of 17 matches since her first round loss at Wimbledon, her recent titles in Washington and Cincinnati establishing herself as one of the US Open favourites.

“There’s still a lot of tennis left to play, and it’s a long match and a long tournament,” said Gauff.

“You know, even though the semi-finals, by theory, if you want to win there’s two matches left. You can’t think like that.”

Muchova reached her second Grand Slam semi-final of the season with a 6-0, 6-3 demolition of veteran Romanian 30th seed Sorana Cirstea.

The 10th-seeded Czech broke six times and hit 32 winners in a consummate performance.

“I’m just trying to keep things actually pretty easy and don’t put much expectations on me,” said Muchova.

Cirstea, 33, had been playing in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for only the second time in a professional career that began in 2006.

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‘Frustrated’ Gauff breaks down in tears after Australian Open exit

MELBOURNE: Coco Gauff broke down in tears during an emotional press conference following her surprise exit from the Australian Open at the last-16 stage on Sunday.

The 18-year-old usually cuts a composed figure under the glare of the world’s media, despite her tender age.

But it all became too much when asked about the frustration she felt during her 7-5, 6-3 fourth-round defeat to Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion.

“I worked really hard and I felt really good coming into the tournament, and I still feel good,” Gauff told reporters.

“I still feel like I’ve improved a lot. But, you know, when you play a player like her and she plays really well, it’s like there’s nothing you can do.”

The prodigiously talented American, who must now wait at least a bit longer for a first major crown, added: “I feel like today I would say nothing because every match you play a part in, but I feel like it was rough.

“So it’s a little bit frustrating on that part.”

Her voice suddenly began to crack, the tears flowed and the teenager was offered a tissue, before saying: “I’m OK. We can keep going.”

Gauff gathered herself to say she would now be supporting her doubles partner Jessica Pegula, who was later playing another former French Open champion, Barbora Krejcikova, for a place in the last eight.

“I hope that she continues well in the tournament now that I’m out,” Gauff smiled. “I hope she wins it.”

Gauff and Pegula, the women’s doubles second seeds, will play for a place in the quarter-finals Monday against Miyu Kato of Japan and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia.

“I’m excited to play doubles. I think it gives me a chance to still be around and I definitely enjoy just competing in general,” said Gauff.

“So I think it will help me (get over defeat), just let me play with some frustration.

“I think doubles has taught me how to play, after losing, how to play with frustration, and that’s what I felt like today. I was frustrated.”

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Iga Swiatek dominates Coco Gauff to lift the French Open title

PARIS: World No.1 Iga Swiatek carried on her unbeaten run and defeated her American counterpart Coco Gauff to lift her second French Open title, here on Sunday.

The Polish star completely dominated her opponent in the final as she clinched the victory by 6-1 and 6-3.

The World No.1 Swiatek’s ruthless efficiency did not allow Gauff to settle in the game as she kept pushing her back with her heavy striking and wide-angle shots before claiming the victory in a mere 68 minutes.

Gauff made a number of unforced errors as her forehand continued to let her down and allowed Swiatek to pull ahead and take a 4-0 lead in the first set.

The 18-years-old, however, got the scoreboard moving as she drilled one down to claim her first game. Her comeback did little to none to rattle Swiatek, who appeared firm before closing the set in 32 minutes after securing two more games.

Swiatek, then continued her sublime form in the second set as she again outclassed Gauff to claim the title victory.

With her French Open triumph, Swiatek has now levelled Venus Williams’ 21st-century record of 35 straight wins, set in the 2000s.

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