Coco Gauff was eliminated from the Qatar Open in Doha in her first match after being surprised by Katerina Siniakova.
Gauff, who held the second seed in Doha, received a bye in the first round before starting her campaign on Tuesday. Facing off against the 42nd-ranked Siniakova, Gauff entered the match as the clear favorite, but it was the Czech player who emerged victorious, defeating the American 6-2 6-4.
For the third-ranked Gauff, this was her first match since her loss in the semi-finals of the Australian Open to Aryna Sabalenka. Additionally, it marked the first time Gauff suffered an early exit in Doha, as she had reached the quarter-finals in both 2022 and 2023.
Siniakova made a strong start to the match by breaking Gauff in the very first game. A few games later, she saved a break point before breaking Gauff once again to take a commanding 4-1 lead.
Despite being down two breaks, Gauff managed to recover one break in the sixth game. However, she then lost her serve again in the following game, allowing Siniakova to establish a 5-2 advantage. Serving for the set in the eighth game, Siniakova comfortably sealed the opener, converting her first set point.
After a disappointing first set, Gauff started the second set strong, earning two consecutive breaks to take what appeared to be a comfortable 4-0 lead. Just as it seemed Gauff would cruise to victory in the second set and force a deciding set, the American suffered a shocking collapse, losing the next six games to Siniakova and ultimately surrendering the match in straight sets.
This was the seventh encounter between the two players, with Gauff now holding a 5-2 head-to-head record against Siniakova.
Despite focusing on improving her serve during practice after the Australian Open, Gauff continued to struggle on serve in Doha, facing 14 break points and losing her serve eight times.
Gauff is expected to make her return to action next week at a WTA 1000 event in Dubai.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org