North American Coco Gauff, the world’s No. 2 tennis player, was eliminated on Tuesday in the round of 16 of the women’s singles tennis tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, losing to Croatia’s Donna Vekic.
The U.S. delegation’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony, an honor she shared with basketball’s LeBron James, was defeated in straight sets, 7-6 (9-7) and 6-2, in two hours.
Gauff led the first set 4-1 and 5-2 but then lost three points to close out the set: one in the eighth game on the Croatian’s serve and two points in a row in the tiebreak when he led 6-4.
The North American started better again in the second half, breaking in the third game to take a 2-1 lead, but Vekic won the next five games to close out the match 6-2 after a third straight break.
Vekic, the second Croatian to reach the quarterfinals of an Olympic tournament after Iva Majoli, will compete for a place in the semifinals in 1996 against the winner of the match between Greek Maria Sakkari, the eighth WTA player, and Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, 19.
Also in the quarters is Germany’s Angelique Kerber, former world number one and currently ranked 212th, after beating Canada’s Leila Fernandez, number 25, 6-4, 6-3 in what was announced to be the final tournament of her professional career.
With this qualification, Kerber became the second German to reach the Olympic quarters for the third time, repeating the results of 2012 and 2016 (silver medal), after the historic Steffi Graf, the 1988 Olympic champion in Seoul.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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