‘Wish I served better’

After 3-6, 6-4, 3-6 fourth round loss to Emma Navarro, USA’s defending champ Coco Gauff feels story would’ve been different had she executed plans better

Coco Gauff joined Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on the US Open scrap-heap Sunday as the defending champion crashed out to Emma Navarro in a blizzard of mistakes as China’s Zheng Qinwen won a record-setting 2:15 am finish. 

19 double faults for Gauff

As Gauff exited, US chances were then rekindled when Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz reached the men’s last-eight, igniting hopes of a first homegrown male Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick’s win in New York in 2003. Third-ranked Gauff slumped to a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 fourth-round defeat to her fellow American on the back of 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors. “I lost in the first round the last two years and now to be making the quarter-finals is pretty insane,” said Navarro, who will face Spain’s Paula Badosa for a place in the semis. 

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Gauff’s loss was another body blow to the season’s final Grand Slam. Djokovic, the defending men’s champion, was knocked out in the third round to suffer his earliest exit in 18 years. Fellow crowd-pleaser Alcaraz, the 2022 winner in New York and reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, exited in the second round. “I gave it my all,” said Gauff. “Obviously there were things execution-wise, where I was like, I wish I could serve better. I think if I did that, it would have been a different story.” Navarro had defeated Gauff at Wimbledon in July and was dominant again on Sunday from the outset. 

Zheng wins latest-ever finish

Zheng reached the quarter-finals for a second time with victory over Donna Vekic in a record late finish for a women’s match. Seventh-seed Zheng won 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 6-2 against her 24th-ranked Croatian opponent who she also defeated in the Paris Olympics final four weeks ago. The early Monday morning finish was two minutes later than the old record of 2:13 am from 2021.

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