Coco Gauff won't be playing semifinals at the 2023 Qatar Open in Doha as she lost to Veronika Kudermetova in three sets.
Only one player could stop the teenage sensation in 2023 when Jelena Ostapenko defeated the American at the Australian Open. After losing to the Latvian, Gauff didn't take part in any event for almost a month, before signing up for a WTA 500 event in Doha.
Last year, Gauff played quarterfinals at the Qatar Open too, and so this year, she wanted to take it another step further. She took on Veronika Kudermetova, who previously defeated two Grand Slam champions, Barbora Krejcikova and Sofia Kenin, and in the next round, she will meet yet another major winner, Iga Swiatek.
The match started much better for the Russian, who was dominant on her serve and didn't allow her opponent to even think about a break. On the other hand, Kudermetova broke the American twice and after only 38 minutes, she won the first set 6-2.
In the second set, Gauff changed her approach a little bit. She implemented more slices and her strategy seemed to work. In a set full of breaks, the American was a better player, winning it 6-3 and forcing a decider.
Before the third set, Kudermetova left the stadium and her opponent had to wait on the court. Maybe the break made Gauff lose her rhythm as she entered the third set very badly.
The teenager was broken twice and soon she faced a five-game deficit. Despite being able to win one game, Gauff couldn't come back and lost the match in two hours and six minutes 2-6, 6-3, 1-6.
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