LONDON (AP) — Coco Gauff faced a challenging match against Emma Navarro at Centre Court, and it was clear things were not going her way. Throughout the match, Gauff frequently looked towards her guest box for guidance from her coaches. Brad Gilbert, one of her coaches, stood up and gestured, engaging in back-and-forth conversations with Gauff, but no effective solution emerged.
Gauff, who has yet to progress beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon, was eliminated at that stage once again on Sunday. She lost to Navarro 6-4, 6-3 in an all-American matchup. “We had a game plan going in, and I felt that it wasn’t working. I don’t always ask for advice from the box, but today was one of those rare moments where I felt I didn’t have solutions,” said Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion and seeded No. 2 at the All England Club. “I don’t want to say I didn’t have any, because I think I’m capable of coming up with some. Today, mentally, there was a lot going on. I felt like I wanted more direction.”
Gauff’s exit is part of a series of departures by top women from the Wimbledon bracket this year. No. 1 Iga Swiatek lost on Saturday, No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka withdrew with an injured shoulder before playing a match, and No. 6 Marketa Vondrousova, last year’s champion, was defeated in the first round.
Only two of the 10 highest-seeded women remain: 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, who is No. 4, and recent French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini, who is No. 7 and will face Navarro next. Rybakina is set to play her fourth-round match on Monday, while Paolini advanced on Sunday when Madison Keys stopped playing due to an injury.
The 19th-seeded Navarro, who prepares for matches by writing notes to herself on her phone, reached a major quarterfinal for the first time. She demonstrated her potential in the second round by defeating four-time major champion Naomi Osaka. “I’m believing that this is possible as it’s happening. I’m starting to think, ‘Why not me? Why not? Why can’t I make a quarterfinal run? Why can’t I go deep in Grand Slams?’” said Navarro, 23, who grew up in South Carolina and won the 2021 NCAA championship in her first year at the University of Virginia.
On Sunday, Navarro noticed the interactions between Gauff and Gilbert, as well as Gauff’s growing frustration with her performance. “I don’t normally give the other side of the court too much energy. I keep it on my side of the court. (But) I guess seeing her kind of frustrated and looking at her box, putting her arms up in the air — it’s definitely a little bit of a confidence boost,” Navarro said. “I guess it maybe gave me a little bit of momentum and just some energy that I needed.”
In addition to her U.S. Open trophy from last September, the 20-year-old Gauff from Florida has been the runner-up at the French Open and reached the semifinals at the Australian Open. Her first major breakthrough came at the All England Club at age 15, when she became the youngest qualifier in tournament history and defeated Venus Williams in the first round, eventually reaching the fourth round. However, Gauff has never surpassed that result at Wimbledon. She exited in the fourth round in 2021, lost in the third round in 2022, and was eliminated in the first round last year.
During Sunday’s match, Gauff made numerous mistakes, finishing with more than twice as many unforced errors (25) as winners (12). Her biggest issue was her forehand, a shot that opponents know is her weakness. Navarro consistently targeted Gauff’s forehand, and it paid off. “I really wanted to attack her forehand,” Navarro said afterward. Gauff made 16 unforced errors with her forehand and another 16 forced errors, accounting for 32 of the 61 total points won by Navarro.
“I have the ability to raise my level when players play well, and I feel I didn’t do that today,” Gauff said. She explained that when she has sought mid-match assistance from her coaches in the past, “They usually gave me something,” but added, “I don’t think we were all in sync.” “No one’s (to) blame except myself,” Gauff said. “I mean, I’m the player out there.”
Source: AP News
