Coco Gauff on US Open loss: 'I am not going to let this crush me' - ESPN

NEW YORK — Coco Gauff tried to put on a brave face Monday after losing in the fourth round of the US Open for the second year in a row, this time to Naomi Osaka, saying: «I am not going to let this crush me.»

The No. 3-seeded Gauff, who won the first of her two Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows in 2023, was undone by a slew of groundstroke errors and failed to do her usual strong job of returning, which all contributed to a 6-3, 6-2 victory for Osaka in just 64 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

«I just made way too many mistakes — way too many errors — which I feel like that's the part of my game that I felt the most confident in, coming into the tournament. So, it was kind of a weird match, feeling confident in different areas swapping,» Gauff said. «I mean, it's disappointing. For sure, it was not the level that I wanted to bring.»

The result was surprising, not just because Gauff was the higher seed — Osaka is No. 23 — and the more recent champion in New York, but also for just how lopsided it was and the way it came about.

Gauff's serving has been her biggest problem lately, and the shot she recently hired a new coach to help her with during this tournament, but it was good enough Monday afternoon. The other parts of her game were the issue.

She never earned a break chance while returning and finished the match with 33 unforced errors, 20 on her forehand side. Osaka made a total of just 12 unforced errors.

«For me, I felt so discombobulated on the court, because it's like: I'm serving well, but not returning well,» said Gauff, a 21-year-old from Florida. «The last two years, everybody can agree that's a weird thought.»

A year ago, her title defense at the US Open also ended in the fourth round. But that one,