Coco Gauff’s Paris Olympics marketing campaign over with doubles loss
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula of Group USA go away the court docket after their match with Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic was stopped by the rainfall throughout their ladies’s doubles match, on the 2024 Summer time Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, on the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Picture/Andy Wong)
PARIS — Coco Gauff misplaced in ladies’s doubles and combined doubles on the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, ending her first Summer time Video games a day after her tearful exit in singles.
“On the finish of the day, it’s over,” the 20-year-old American stated. “I’ll attempt to take the optimistic out of it and do higher subsequent time.”
Gauff and her U.S. teammate, Jessica Pegula, have been the top-seeded ladies’s pair however have been eradicated within the second spherical by the Czech duo of Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 in a match tiebreaker within the afternoon. Then, at evening, Gauff and Taylor Fritz exited combined doubles with a 7-6 (2), 3-6, 10-8 loss in one other match tiebreaker to Gabby Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada.
READ: Paris Olympics: Coco Gauff loses argument with umpire and match
In Olympic tennis, first-to-10, win-by-two match tiebreakers are used rather than a conventional third set for all doubles matches.
On Tuesday, Gauff was defeated by Donna Vekic of Croatia in straight units within the third spherical of singles. Gauff, who was seeded second in that occasion, received into an argument with the chair umpire over an officiating determination close to the end of that match.
All in all, it was an abrupt near the Olympics for somebody who was a Group USA flag bearer in the course of the opening ceremony on Friday and, only a few days in the past, was speaking about hoping to go away the Metropolis of Gentle with three medals. As an alternative, she ended up 0 for 3.
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula of Group USA play Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic throughout their ladies’s doubles match, on the 2024 Summer time Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, on the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Picture/Andy Wong)
“Clearly,” Gauff stated, “I assumed I had a great probability in all three occasions.”
This was Gauff’s debut on the Olympics; she made the U.S. tennis crew for Tokyo at age 17 three years in the past however was compelled to drop out after testing optimistic for COVID-19 proper earlier than the flight to Japan.
Gauff arrived in France this time as one of many greatest stars in her, or any, sport.
READ: Coco Gauff joins LeBron as Group USA flag bearer at Paris Olympics
She received her first Grand Slam singles championship on the U.S. Open final September, and she or he collected her first main doubles title on the French Open in June — though not with Pegula, who was out injured, however with Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
Gauff additionally has reached a singles ultimate on the French Open, shedding the trophy to Iga Swiatek in 2022. That main match is performed every year at Roland Garros, the identical clay-court facility getting used to host Paris Video games tennis matches.
Muchova was the runner-up to Swiatek on the French Open final 12 months and likewise made it to the semifinals on the U.S. Open earlier than shedding to Gauff in a match interrupted for 50 minutes by a local weather protest.
Muchova returned to motion in June after lacking 10 months due to surgical procedure on her proper wrist.
Wednesday’s match was delayed due to rain proper earlier than Noskova served for the second set with the Czechs forward 5-4. When play resumed, they took that set, then dominated the tiebreaker.
“Actually, generally 10-point tiebreakers are slightly unfortunate,” Pegula stated. “They performed just about the right tiebreaker.”
The 19-year-old Noskova closed out the victory with a volley winner.
Her greatest achievement to this point got here on the Australian Open in January, when she beat Swiatek within the third spherical. That made Noskova the primary teenager to beat a No. 1-ranked lady at Melbourne Park since 1999.
Your subscription couldn’t be saved. Please attempt once more.
Your subscription has been profitable.
“I used to be simply standing there, letting her play,” Muchova stated with fun about her associate, “and that’s how we received.”
Comply with Inquirer Sports activities’ particular protection of the Paris Olympics 2024.
