The defending Cincinnati Open women’s singles champion, Coco Gauff of the United States, faced a surprising defeat on Thursday, losing to Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in a thrilling three-set match. Putintseva triumphed with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, ending Gauff’s hopes of retaining her title.
“It was not the best match for me,” Gauff reflected in an interview with the WTA Tour. “I made a lot of errors, especially when I was up 4-2 in the third set. 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.”
This victory marks Putintseva’s first win over Gauff after three consecutive losses to the world No. 2. The Kazakh player has been making waves recently, having also upset world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland at Wimbledon in July. Putintseva will face Spain’s Paula Badosa in the Round of 16.
“Belief is never an issue for me. Since I was a kid, I remember that only my parents believed in me,” Putintseva shared with Tennis Channel following her victory. “They were the only ones who thought I would be able to do well due to my height. I was the smallest person in the group, and my father was like, ‘You’re the best. You have to believe that you’re the best, otherwise it’s not going to work.'”
In other matches, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, began her Cincinnati Open campaign with a solid win over Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto, finishing 6-3, 6-4. This victory marks her sixth win in seven appearances at the Cincinnati Open.
“I’m happy with my level in the tough moments,” Sabalenka commented. “Elisabetta is a difficult opponent. She fought to the last point.” Sabalenka is set to face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the next round.
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Gauff's Cincinnati Open defense ends after she's upset by Putintseva
cgtn.com
