Coco Gauff's hopes of winning back-to-back US Open titles are over after she crashed out in the fourth round.
Gauff was aiming to become the first woman to retain her crown at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 2014 but succumbed to a 6-2 4-6 6-3 loss to Olympic team-mate Emma Navarro.
Navarro is playing in her hometown city and looks a credible contender for a maiden grand slam title, having beaten her opponent for the second-successive time in a grand slam.
Gauff was off the pace for much of the tournament and exited at the first sign of real competition.
She was not helped by her serve going missing in action as the 2023 champion sent down 19 double faults and fired 60 unforced errors.
Emma Navarro ends Coco Gauff's US Open title defense! pic.twitter.com/mcIvQIn1Xj
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2024
Navarro said: "It’s pretty insane. I lost in the first round the last two years and now to be making the quarter-finals is pretty insane.
"This is the city I was born in and it feels so special to be playing here.
"Coco is an amazing player. I have a ton of respect for her and I know she’s going to come back here and win this thing again."
Gauff has had a difficult few months on the court, but called for perspective.
"It's not the summer that I want," she said. "I feel like there’s 70 other players in the draw that would love to have the summer that I had even though it’s my least probably done well during this time of the year.
"So many people want to be in the fourth round. So many people want to make the Olympics. So many people want to be flag bearer. It’s perspective.
"Obviously because I’m wanting to reach a different level, it is disappointing, but I’m not going to beat myself up and be, like, this was so bad.
"Yeah, I expect better, but at the end of the day it happened, and I know I can turn it around."
Last year's US Open runner-up Aryna Sabalenka is in prime condition to go one better this year after booking her place in the quarter-finals after beating Elise Mertens 6-2 6-4.
Not many players left in the draw can cope with Sabalenka’s power on the hard courts and she is the clear favourite to win a third grand slam.
"I really enjoy playing here," she said.
"The crowd are amazing. I really enjoy playing on these big stadium and feel all the support.
"I just don’t want to leave early here. I just want to stay as long as I can and enjoy this beautiful court.
"I think that’s why I’m consistently here."
On Louis Armstrong Stadium, a back-in-form Paula Badosa crushed China’s Yafan Wang 6-1 6-2 to book herself a second grand slam quarter-final appearance.
The Spanish star revealed she had contemplated retiring earlier this year after a back injury saw her miss out on competing in the second half of 2023.
The hiatus saw the New York-born player drop from a ranking of number two in the world to outside the top 50.
She found it hard on her return to the sport and, amid a run of poor results earlier this summer, considered a life away from the sport.
Sublime from Paula Badosa 🤌 pic.twitter.com/PIWoBW60Dk
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2024
She said: "There were some moments I was thinking about it, like in the clay court season when I was losing very soon in the tournaments, and I’m like, 'Wow, what can I do now?’.
"For me, tennis doesn’t make sense if I’m not on the top. I want to play big stages. I want to play the last rounds of every tournament. I want to be one of the best players in the world.
"But at the end, I always had this small part of me I had faith on myself, I had this belief that I could come back."
Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng won a rematch of her gold medal clash with Donna Vekic.
Zheng was victorious in straight sets in Paris just a few weeks ago but this was a war of attrition going late into the night.
In the latest finish to a women's match ever at the US Open, Zheng finally won 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 6-2 at 2.16am.
Qinwen Zheng grabs the first set in a tiebreaker over Donna Vekic! pic.twitter.com/eF7S3wUoc3
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2024
