Coco Gauff’s attempt to regain her form at the Cincinnati Open ended in disappointment as she suffered a surprising defeat in her opening match, cutting short her title defense. The 20-year-old American, who has been struggling with a series of losses to lower-ranked players since the French Open, was beaten 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 by Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, ranked 34th in the world. This defeat is a significant setback as Gauff prepares for the upcoming U.S. Open, where she hopes to defend her title.

Following the loss, Gauff acknowledged the need to improve her consistency, citing the numerous unforced errors, including nine double faults, that plagued her performance. "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," Gauff remarked. She also recognized Putintseva’s challenging playstyle, which includes a mix of drop shots and slices that made the match particularly tough.

Gauff, who will drop to world number three next week, plans to return home to regroup and prepare for the U.S. Open. In a day of upsets, she wasn't the only notable player to exit early; Kazakhstan’s fourth seed Elena Rybakina also fell, losing to Leylah Fernandez after squandering two match points.