Coco Gauff Loses an Argument, Then the Match

American tennis star is out of the singles competition
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 30, 2024 10:02 AM CDT
Coco Gauff Loses an Argument, Then the Match
Coco Gauff cries as she argues with umpire during her women's singles third round match against Donna Vekic of Croatia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

The scene felt all too familiar to Coco Gauff. An officiating decision she was sure was wrong. A chair umpire who wouldn't listen. Tears streaming down her cheeks. Even the site was the same: Court Philippe Chatrier was where the reigning US Open champion was eliminated in the third round at the Summer Games by Donna Vekic of Croatia 7-6 (7), 6-2 on Tuesday. That's also the main stadium for the French Open, reports the AP, where Gauff found herself in a nearly identical dispute over a call while being defeated by eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals last month.

By the time the disputed call happened two games from the end of the match, Gauff was way behind. She hit a serve and Vekic's return landed near the baseline. A line judge initially called Vekic's shot out; Gauff did not keep the ball in play. Chair umpire Jaume Campistol thought Vekic's shot landed in and awarded her the point, giving her a service break and a 4-2 lead. Gauff walked over to talk to the official and play was delayed for several minutes. "I felt that he called it before I hit, and I don't think the ref disagreed," Gauff said afterward, renewing a call for video review to be used in tennis. "I think he just thought it didn't affect my swing, which I felt like it did."

One measure of Vekic's superiority Tuesday afternoon: She finished with 33 winners to just nine for Gauff. "I'm not going to sit here and say one point affected the result today," Gauff acknowledged, "because I was already on the losing side of things." When Gauff gave up and headed back on court to resume play, fans booed loudly at the official. But about 10 minutes later, the match was over. Over the weekend, Gauff spoke about aiming to leave with three medals—one from each of her events. That won't happen now. "I want," Gauff said Tuesday, "to come home with something."

(More Coco Gauff stories.)

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