Coco Gauff had the best possible start of the season when she was undefeated in eight consecutive matches, before taking on Jelena Ostapenko.
The 18-year-old American was also perfect in terms of sets won, as no player could win a set against her during her winning streak. But Ostapenko broke both streaks and greatly disappointed Gauff, who was very emotional after the loss.
The teenager has still many years of competing on the WTA Tour in front of her, and she described her feelings in the latest column for BBC.
"My immediate feelings after I lost in the singles were, of course, disappointment and frustration. I was feeling disappointed because I felt like I played well - I was decent on the stats for the most part - but Jelena Ostapenko was just better. And I felt frustration because I was feeling good in the tournament and to lose when you're feeling good makes it extra annoying. But, overall, I do think I improved in this tournament and I played some of the best stuff I've played in a while."
"Learning from the hard losses is the only thing you can do. If you try to forget about it then you will never learn and never improve. I usually analyse a loss the day after because it is always tough when you're fresh off the court - it seems like you've done everything wrong. Losing in a major feels way worse than any other tournament."
But the American didn't speak only about her recent performance. Gauff highlighted how difficult it is to cope with people's expectations, especially when tennis is in search of new 'face of the game' after Serena Williams' retirement.
"With Serena Williams retiring, I feel like people are eager to see a new face of the game emerge. But it is tough as a young player to think of yourself as a 'face of the game'. Everyone wants it to happen now but you have to put into perspective the ages of us younger players coming through. To be a face of anything - not just tennis - is tough."
"I guess everyone is looking for the 'captain' of the WTA Tour. That's the best analogy I can probably give. Players like myself, or my second-round opponent Emma Raducanu, don't quite have the experience yet. It will come with trying, failing, learning, getting back up and trying again. You have to put your age into perspective. A year ago I would have said my age means nothing, age is just a number."
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