CNN
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Coco Gauff failed to advance past the first round of defending her title at the Cincinnati Open, when the American suffered a surprise 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 defeat to Yulia Putintseva.
The world number 34 was 2-4 down in the final set but won four games in a row to close the match in spectacular fashion and claim her first career victory over Gauff.
The American world number two, who only reached the second round of the Canadian Open last week, made nine double faults in his error-filled performance.
“I think the level of play was high, especially for these conditions,” Putintseva said, according to the WTA. “The courts are lightning fast, so I’m pretty happy to have advanced.”
“The whole match was a rollercoaster. At that point I thought I had broken her a couple of times and it would be nothing special to break someone again. She made two double faults and I made two good returns. She missed the ball and the game changed immediately.
“On pitches like this you really have to stay focused because the game can change quickly.”
Putintseva will face Spaniard Paula Badosa in the next round.
Gauff goes into the US Open, which begins on August 26, as defending champion after winning the first Grand Slam title of her career on home soil last year.
The 20-year-old recently represented Team USA at the Olympic Games in Paris, where she lost in the third round to eventual silver medalist Donna Vekić from Croatia.
Elsewhere, 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez caused another upset, defeating fourth seed Elena Rybakina 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.
Fernandez, who lost to Emma Raducanu in the final of the 2021 US Open, has steadily climbed the rankings over the past year and is now ranked 26th in the world.
