Defending champion Gauff out of US Open against Navarro as serve deserts her

Coco Gauff, the reigning US Open champion, was defeated in the fourth round 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 by her fast-rising American compatriot Emma Navarro. She put in a good performance and managed to control her visible nerves in the decisive moments, which allowed her to reach the quarter-finals in New York for the first time.

Navarro has been one of the most improved players of the year and, seeded 13th, continues to climb rapidly up the rankings after ending 2023 at No. 32. The 23-year-old has now beaten Gauff in consecutive Grand Slams after also outclassing her at Wimbledon. For Gauff, the third-seeded team, the performance was a reminder of the major issues she must address to replicate last year’s results as her forehand and serve buckled under pressure. She finished the match with a dismal 19 double faults, including 11 in the final set alone.

Navarro is a smart, efficient player with brilliant movement, a powerful, spinny forehand and few weaknesses. At Wimbledon she took another step in her development when she completely outclassed Gauff in the fourth round and reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

This match started in a similar fashion with Navarro being extremely solid on both wings, keeping excellent depth and clearing all short balls. She also showed some delicate touches at the net with her occasional use of the drop shot.

Gauff had reached this point with a win over Elina Svitolina, which had given her confidence a boost. But against such a solid opponent, her familiar problems returned with a vengeance: she struggled with her second serve and her forehand, and closed the first set with 12 unforced forehand errors.

Navarro set herself up for another dramatic victory under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium when she broke serve to take a 6-3, 4-3 lead. But as she faced the prospect of defeat, Gauff locked in her own game and refused to miss. The visible shift in energy across the net immediately changed the dynamic of the match. As Navarro began to feel the pressure and make unforced errors, the match quickly turned. Gauff won three games in a row to take the set.

But Gauff just couldn’t maintain the level of consistency and excellent service that had kept her in the match. Early in the final set, Gauff played a terrible service game with two consecutive double faults, which cost her the game. She never recovered and her second serve completely collapsed.

Navarro now faces Paula Badosa, the former world No. 2, who recovered from a career-threatening back injury to reach her second Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Yafan Wang.

Elsewhere, ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov held his nerve to beat sixth seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the US Open quarterfinals for the first time in five years. Twelfth seed Taylor Fritz rallied from a set down to beat eighth seed Casper Ruud.

Meanwhile, Jack Draper believes he is putting himself in a position to challenge for the world’s biggest titles in the coming years, as the next generation of tennis players begin to make an impact at the major events.

“I feel like I have a huge opportunity if I can stay injury-free and keep working hard on my body and gaining the experience I’m gaining week in, week out, then I’m confident I can reach the highest level,” Draper said.

“It’s just a matter of making sure I’m doing everything right for my mind and body and being as professional as I can because my game is there. I’m working hard all the time to get better and I don’t feel like I’m too far away so I’ve just got to keep working and hopefully over time that level will come and the results will come and I can be right up there with those guys.”

Draper will be in the fourth round of the US Open for the second year in a row when he takes on Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac on Monday. Both players are seeking their first Grand Slam quarterfinals.