Caroline Garcia as soon as crushed Coco Gauff’s dream of profitable her first U.S. Open again in 2022 when she bounced Coco out within the quarterfinals in Queens.
On Monday in Miami Gardens within the Spherical of 16, Garcia struck once more in upsetting the third-seeded Gauff, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 in Gauff’s hometown event on the Miami Open.
Gauff, who misplaced in Miami within the third spherical in 2023, nonetheless is on the lookout for a breakthrough at a event at which she commutes from Delray Seashore.
Whereas Gauff has a Grand Slam title from the 2023 U.S. Open, she has didn’t weave any success in Miami regardless of the Dolphins Stadium crowd being all for the 20-year-old native sensation.
“I feel actually it is simply robust matches through the years,’’ Gauff stated in explaining her Miami woes. “I really feel like I understand how to play with house strain, particularly after the entire U.S. swing final 12 months, so I did not really feel any nerves coming in at the moment or in any respect this week.
“I feel I am the kind of particular person each loss sort of weighs on me heavy, particularly one like at the moment the place I felt like I may have finished higher and I felt like I had the match in management, particularly after the second (set). Truthfully, if something, it sort of helps being house so I can simply drive and be house and be in my very own mattress.’’
Gauff smiled however the damage was evident in shedding to the 23rd-ranked Garcia for a 3rd straight time. The Spaniard is on a roll after beating one other Grand Slam winner in Japan’s come-backing Naomi Osaka within the third spherical. She now faces Danielle Collins, a St. Petersburg resident, within the quarterfinals.
It is positively a fantastic match and nice win for me,” Garcia stated. “Final couple of months haven’t been simple, and positively at the moment, following the (Osaka) match, it means rather a lot. It was some nice tennis.”
Within the opening recreation of the third set, Garcia survived 4 break factors earlier than profitable the sport and dominated from there to interrupt a streak of shedding seven straight matches to Prime-10 gamers.
“It was an up-and-down match,’’ Gauff stated. “She performed aggressive, which I knew coming in. I feel it was actually necessary for me to simply change the peak of the ball, and I did that effectively for almost all of the second set. Then beginning off the third with an early break, it simply fully modified the momentum.’’
Since shedding within the semifinals of the Australian Open to Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff has been amidst a dry spell. Her Center East section of the tennis season in February didn’t go effectively. She misplaced within the Indian Wells semifinals within the earlier event in opposition to a beatable opponent in Maria Sakkari.
“It is a robust loss,’’ Gauff stated. “ I do assume one constructive is the serve. I received damaged rather a lot at the moment. I do not assume it was due to my serving. I went from hitting 17 double faults in Indian Wells (within the quarterfinals) to solely three at the moment. In order that’s one thing that may proceed to enhance, and it did in a brief period of time.’’
Extra: Coco Gauff helps unveil refurbished tennis courts at Delray Seashore’s Pompey Park
The European claycourt season now looms for Coco, who will play Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome earlier than culminating within the French Open.
“I’m excited,’’ Gauff stated. “I want I may have did higher this hard-court season, however I’m excited for clay.’’
This text initially appeared on Palm Seashore Publish: Coco Gauff makes early exit at Miami Open, falling to Carolina Garcia
