Commentator noticed the sudden mistake Coco Gauff made ‘out of nowhere’ during her shock Cincinnati Open defeat 

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A Sky Sports commentator explained why Coco Gauff was unable to defeat Yulia Putintseva at the Cincinnati Open.

The American entered the tournament as the defending champion but she came unstuck against the dangerous Kazak player.

The 20-year-old’s wretched form continued as she suffered a first round exit from the WTA 1000 event in Ohio.

Coco Gauff is not only set to enter the US Open on the back of some disappointing results, but as a result she will lose the World number two ranking to Aryna Sabalenka.

What mistake did Coco Gauff make at the Cincinnati Open?

Gauff began the match by losing the first set, but she adjusted her game in the second set and started to play longer rallies and move Putintseva around the court.

She was rewarded and managed the draw level, and Gauff’s momentum continued into set three where she held a 4-2 lead. But multiple errors began to spring from her racket as Putintseva reeled off four successive games to win 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

A commentator on Sky Sports was baffled by Gauff’s decision to change her game after opening up a lead in the deciding set.

“Coco Gauff, you thought she was going to run away with it because she was playing such a good level of tennis, patient, and it looked repeatable,” they said on the live broadcast.

“Then suddenly, just out of nowhere she decided to go back to trying to hit winners from everywhere and it just completely broke apart.

“I think that’s when Putintseva also realised the moment to just be rock steady, no mistakes and let the other kill herself with mistakes, and that’s exactly what happened. Really good awareness of the situation and to be able to play to it as well.”

Coco Gauff to suffer ranking drop after early Cincinnati Open exit

Since Wimbledon Gauff has been on a poor run of form and has failed to reach at least the quarter-finals in any of her last four tournaments.

After losing her first match in Cincinnati, where she was the defending champion, and skipping the Citi Open in Washington which she won last, Gauff will lose plenty of ranking points.

As a result, Sabalenka, who she took the ranking position from in June, will reclaim the spot behind Iga Swiatek.

The Belarusian is also having a difficult time after she returned from injury in the Washington Open, having not played since the Berlin Open in June.