By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday August 15, 2024
Coco Gauff fell in the first hurdle of her Cincinnati title defense, dropping a three-setter to Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva.
Photo Source: TTV
This summer’s North American hard court swing is off to a shaky start for Coco Gauff. The American lost in the opening round of her title defense on Thursday, falling to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
The victory marks Putintseva’s second Top-2 win of the summer – she defeated Iga Swiatek on the grass earlier this year – and will drop Gauff to No.3 in the rankings ahead of the US Open.
Gauff has now lost three of four since the Olympics, where she fell to Donna Vekic in the round of 16. The 2023 US Open champion lost to Diana Shnaider in the round of 16 at Toronto.
Putintseva, who recorded her 13th career Top-10 win, moves on to face Paula Badosa in the second round.
More to follow…