Yulia Putintseva says she noticed what Coco Gauff started doing in the second set after beating her in Cincinnati

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Coco Gauff suffered another worrying setback in the lead-up to her US Open title defense on Thursday.

Gauff, who is also the reigning champion of the Cincinnati Open, came unstuck by the perseverance of Yulia Putintseva in the opening match of her 2024 campaign.

The world number two peaked on the hard courts of North America last time out, clinching two WTA titles in Washington and Cincinnati, before soaring to glory at the US Open to claim her maiden major crown.

Gauff was embroiled in drama at the Olympics and she doesn’t appear to have bounced back from it in time to fine-tune her game ahead of her favored US swing.

Yulia Putintseva says she was ‘lucky’ to beat Coco Gauff in Cincinnati

Putintseva is no stranger to success against top players, having crushed Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon earlier this year.

But victory over Coco Gauff has raised serious concerns over the American’s form leading into the US Open.

After her 6-4 2-6 6-4 win over the 20-year-old, Putintseva offered her thoughts on the match.

“It was very tough because Coco started to play well in the second set,” Putintseva told Tennis Channel.

“[She was] putting a lot of pressure on my shots. I felt like she was running everywhere and getting all the balls back.

“In the end, I got a bit lucky with my shots, plus she helped a little bit, her serve didn’t work and that’s what made the difference.”

Can Gauff recover in time for Flushing Meadows?

Doubt is starting to creep in over whether Gauff can shake off the setbacks in time for her native US Open.

She captured the hearts of her country 12 months ago when, at 19 years of age, she became the first American teenager to win at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.

However, Gauff is in a very different state of mind this year as she heads into the final major of the season.

She is lacking form and, with just one win to her name in North America as opposed to the 11 she had arriving in New York last year, Gauff faces a race against time to recover.