Coco Gauff was brutally dumped out of the Toronto Open in the fourth round to Russia’s Diana Shnaider.
Coco Gauff is preparing to start her Cincinnati title defense against either Harriet Dart or Yulia Putintseva since she has a bye in the first round.
Her Olympic campaign was just as disappointing as her Wimbledon one, with the 20-year-old unable to live up to expectation.
With Gauff suffering a premature exit in Toronto to Diana Shnaider, worrying signs are quietly emerging with the American yet to find the consistent high-level of tennis that she produced at the French Open in June.
Under a month away from the start of the US Open, where she gloriously won last year, American hopes have been largely rejuvenated by other players successes across the WTA tour.
However with Gauff still ranked second in the world and above her compatriots she will have the weight of the nation on her shoulders as she looks for her second major singles title.
Coco Gauff reveals what she has just realised about the WTA Top 10
At just 20 years old, Gauff has already achieved major success in both the singles and doubles and is far younger than many of her top 10 colleagues – something she admits she’s only now considered.
Speaking to the Cincinnati Open press before the tournament, she said: “I’m 20, I have a long way to go. most of my competitors in the Top 10 are 24 and older, other than Iga [Swiatek, who is 23]. I have time.
“I want to win now, because I’m used to winning so early,” she explained. “But I think I can take a step back and realize I have at least 10 more years in this sport. I want to enjoy it.”
Whether or not Gauff is simply tempering expectations after a tough few weeks, her status as the world number two doesn’t look under considerable threat.
With immediate rivals Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina recovering from illness and still searching for form, Gauff’s spot near the top is safe.
However, she will be keen to at least challenge the world number one Iga Swiatek, who Gauff has only beaten once in their 12 meetings.
Coco Gauff is leading the charge for American women’s tennis
American tennis, especially on the women’s side is currently at an all-time high with five US women in the top 15 for the first time since 2004.
Navarro has been quick to praise the state of American tennis, after she was one of three American semifinalists in the Toronto Open.
An all-American affair followed in the final with Jessica Pegula managing to cling on to her title despite the efforts of the returning Amanda Anisimova, who Navarro predicted to be the next US tennis star.
While several American women have had success at the US Open with Sloane Stephens also clinching the title in 2017, only Gauff out of the five in the top 15 has won a major.
If there is any time for the US Open to have another homegrown winner, it will be in a few weeks time.
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