Coco Gauff to lose World No.2 ranking following devastating loss at Cincinnati Open

American tennis prodigy Coco Gauff suffered a shocking second round loss at the 2024 Cincinnati Open this week, leading to her dropping significant points as she is the defending champion at the WTA 1000 event.

The 20-year old, who has been having a subpar season according to her standards, faced Yulia Putintseva in the second round in Cincinnati. After dropping the first set, Gauff rallied back to take the second and force a decider. However, Putintseva's aggression, coupled with some errant play from the American, saw the Kazakh star prevail in a 6-4 2-6 6-4 victory.

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Gauff's ranking takes a hit ahead of US Open title defense

The Atlanta native lost 890 ranking points due to her second round loss in Cincinnati. As a result, she will see her ranking drop on the WTA Rankings table, allowing Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka to climb back up to the World No.2 position.

Gauff will be relegated to the World No.3 position as she prepares for the US Open, where she is the defending champion. The American has posted poor results on hard courts during the North American hard court season, winning only one match thus far. Gauff will need a deep run in New York in order to avoid further damage to her WTA ranking.