TENNIS
Coco Gauff’s form before she starts defending her US Open title won last year
The young American and the best-ranked US tennis player has secured only one victory in two premier-tier WTA tournaments in the past three weeks.
![Aug 15, 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA ; Coco Gauff of the United States serves against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan on day four of the Cincinnati Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports](https://img.asmedia.epimg.net/resizer/v2/CBITQNO7CRN7VDCL5NNRIBPSK4.jpg?auth=d070291461274159d59158ef0acd59df7362cbb478e11bd8830dbd52b4876d5e&width=360&height=203&smart=true)
During her visit to New York last year, 19-year-old Coco Gauff reached a new career peak by winning the US Open. She secured seven victories during the North American tour before her triumph at Flushing Meadows in 2023. This year the situation is diametrically different.
As she prepares to return to the US Open courts in Queens, New York, to defend the most outstanding achievement of her career, the young American has only managed to secure one victory in two premier-tier WTA tournaments. Gauff also saw an early exit at Wimbledon (4th round loss to Navarro) and the Paris Olympic Games (3rd round loss to Vekic).
Therefore, starting next week, she will fall for one spot on the WTA rankings and hold the 3rd position from Monday.
In Toronto, she was eliminated in the third round. In the Cincinnati Open, she exited in the second round despite receiving a bye in the first round on both occasions.
The US Open champion was ousted in the round of 16 in Ohio by Yulia Putintseva, producing a hard-fought match that lasted an hour and 55 minutes, ending with a score of 6:4, 2:6, 6:4. Last week in Toronto, Gauff suffered a convincing defeat against Russian player Diana Shnaider, with a score of 4:6, 1:6.
Despite any challenges, the third-ranked player in the world has the chance to utilize the valuable time before the upcoming home Grand Slam tournament on August 26th to focus on training, bolstering her morale, and refining her form.