Coco Gauff Tearfully Exits Australian Open in Fourth-Round Loss

American tennis star Coco Gauff is officially out of the 2023 Australian Open singles draw after Jeļena Ostapenko beat her 7–5, 6–3 in the fourth round on Sunday.

As the No. 7 women’s player in the world, Gauff was seen as one of the favorites to win the tournament, which would be her first Grand Slam singles title. Last year, she appeared in her first major final at the French Open.

Because of the hope Gauff had to take home her first big title, the 18-year-old was emotional after the match.

“When you play a player like her and she plays really well, it’s like there’s nothing you can do," Gauff said. “And I feel like today, I wouldn’t say ‘nothing’ because every match you play a part in, but I feel like it was rough. So, it was a little bit frustrating on that part.”

Gauff then began crying in the press conference and wiped away her tears. She told reporters “I’m O.K.” despite her tears.

Gauff’s run at the Australian Open isn’t fully over, though. She remains in the women’s doubles draw with her partner, world No. 3 Jessica Pegula. As the No. 2 doubles team, they will play in the third round on Monday. Pegula won her fourth-round singles match Sunday, 7-5, 6-2 over Barbora Krejčíková, and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Sunday saw another huge upset in the women’s draw as World No. 1 Iga Swiatek lost in straight sets to Elena Rybakina in the fourth round.