Coco Gauff dealt added blow immediately after – Sports News
Defending French Open champion Coco Gauff was dealt an added blow after being knocked out of the Grand Slam match by Anastasia Potapova.
Fellow American and No. 6 ranked girls’s participant Amanda Anisimova was additionally crushed on Saturday because the French Open continues to offer beautiful upsets in each the boys’s and girls’s singles competitions.
Gauff’s defeat not solely ended her hopes of defending her French Open title from a yr in the past, however additionally it is set to value her within the rankings. The American arrived at Roland Garros ranked No. 4 on the earth, however her early exit means she is going to now fall out of the WTA high 5 for the primary time since September 2024.
“I think I lost the same way in Rome as I did here, which is not good I think. You never want to lose the same way back to back times. And I feel like in Madrid it was also a similar thing, losing the same way,” Gauff mentioned after the match.
“It’s one thing to lose, but I think today I competed. I fought my hardest. But I don’t think I played the way I wanted to in the crucial moments.”
Gauff was removed from her Grand Slam-winning best on Saturday, a actuality that has grow to be all too acquainted for the American tennis star since her triumph in Paris 12 months in the past. Since then, she has been eradicated earlier than the quarterfinals in three of 4 majors, together with a first-round exit at Wimbledon in 2025.
She has constantly struggled along with her serve – an situation that led to her switching coaches days earlier than the 2025 US Open – though on Saturday it was Potapova who recorded eight double faults to Gauff’s three. Still, the 22-year-old was unable to capitalize on alternatives to complete off factors and units.
Gauff is anticipated to drop to at the least No. 6 within the WTA rankings and may very well be overtaken by fellow Americans Jessica Pegula and Anisimova.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 3 Iga Swiatek stay alive within the area at Roland Garros and are the main favorites to win it, whereas No. 2 Elena Rybakina already bowed out within the second spherical.
Potapova, ranked No. 28 within the area, will now face No. 22 Anna Kalinskaya within the fourth spherical. It marks simply the second time the 25-year-old has superior past the third spherical at a Grand Slam after doing so at Roland Garros back in 2024.
“I don’t have any words now. Coco is such a champion,” Potapova said after her victory. “And I respect her so much. I’m unbelievably proud of myself as well that I fought until the last point. Yeah, here I am.”
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