Top-seed Coco Gauff ousted by Diana Shnaider in Canadian Open quarterfinals

Coco Gauff wasn't interested in excuses.

Fatigue, windy conditions and an unfamiliar opponent all worked against her Friday.

Gauff, however, was emphatic. She only had herself to blame.

The women's top seed at the National Bank Open was ousted 6-4, 6-1 by No. 14 Diana Shnaider of Russia in the third round of Canada's tennis championship — another twist at a tournament that's already seen plenty.

"I just wasn't finding my timing well," said Gauff, the No. 2-ranked player in the world. "I had a lot of unforced errors and a lot of double faults. She played steady and she didn't give me any free points.

"Kudos to her."

Gauff was the flag-bearer alongside NBA star LeBron James for the U.S. at the opening ceremony of Paris Olympics as part of a busy summer schedule.

"I question whether I should have played [in Toronto] or not, but I wanted to test myself," said the 20-year-old, who made the third round at Roland Garros and knew fatigue would be a factor this week. "I didn't have high expectations, but I wish I could have competed better today, even if it resulted in a loss.

"I don't think I competed well."

The tournament's No. 2 seed remains alive after Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus topped Great Britain's Katie Boulter 6-3, 6-3.

Shnaider, ranked No. 24 overall, picked up her first victory over a top-5 or top-10 player on a blustery evening at Sobeys Stadium.

"I did very good job today from the mental side and keeping the focus," said the 20-year-old, who has all three of her career wins this season. "It was a little bit tough with the wind today, but we need to adjust to conditions.

"Very proud of myself."

Shnaider achieved another milestone by making her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal.

"There are no minutes or seconds to waste on