Coco Gauff suffers another early exit in Dubai

McCartney Kessler defeated Coco Gauff at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Coco Gauff lost to McCartney Kessler in the Dubai Tennis Championships. / IMAGO / Naushad

World No. 3 Coco Gauff has now dropped three consecutive matches. Even worse, the last two losses have come early in WTA Masters 1000 tournaments.

On Tuesday, Gauff lost to fellow American (and New Balance athlete) McCartney Kessler in straight sets in the Round of 32 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Gauff served at a much higher level than Kessler by every metric, hitting four aces with only one double fault and winning 71% of first serves. Compared to Kessler's zero aces, one double fault, and 68% on first serves.

However, Gauff was able to capitalize on her strong serve. She was 1/6 on break points, while Kessler was 3/7.

This was Gauff's first loss to a player ranked outside the top 50 since Sofia Kenin at Wimbledon in 2023. Meanwhile, it was Kessler's first match versus a top-five player, making it the biggest win of her career.

Although, the 25-year-old did win the WTA Hobart 250 last month. Plus, Kessler just beat Qatar TotalEnergies Open champion Amanda Anisimova in the first round on Monday.

Kessler will face the winner of Emma Raducanu and Karolina Muchova in the Round of 16 tomorrow. Meanwhile, Gauff will go back to the drawing board as she looks to regain her form after the United Cup and Australian Open.

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