Coco Gauff Comments on Cincinnati Open Loss After Snubbing Press

Coco Gauff blamed errors for her loss to Yulia Putintseva at the Cincinnati Open.

Coco Gauff commented on her loss to Yulia Putintseva. / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, Yulia Putintseva defeated Coco Gauff in the Round of 32 at the Cincinnati Open: 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. It was another shocking defeat for Gauff, the World No. 2.

Gauff skipped out on her post-match press conference in favor of providing quotes through the WTA Tour. Gauff criticized her performance. "It was not the best match for me. I made a lot of errors, especially when I was up 4-2."

Gauff continued, "I think most of the points she won were off my errors. She's always a tricky opponent to play. She mixes up the ball. She has drop shots, slice. She's kind of someone that makes you earn the match."

✨Perfectly Served✨@PutintsevaYulia defeats Gauff 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/7CNH8Bn3v2

— wta (@WTA) August 15, 2024

Looking to the future, Gauff said, "I feel like I have to work on consistency overall. I'll probably go home and try to reset. Obviously, I have a lot coming up soon with the US Open, so I think just trying to reset and be ready for that."

It has been almost one year since Gauff won the US Open as a 19-year-old. While this season has had some highlights for Gauff, such as being a flag-bearer for Team USA in the Olympic Opening Ceremony, it has largely been a disappointment.

Gauff lost to Diana Shnaider in the Cincinnati Open last week on the heels of an early exit at the Paris Olympics. With the US Open coming up next week, Gauff will have a chance to redeem herself on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

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Further Reading: Why Coco Gauff should fire her tennis coach after losing to Diana Shnaider.