“I haven’t showed up with my best level”: Coco Gauff stunned by Cocciaretto on return in Doha

World No. 5 Coco Gauff suffered a disappointing defeat in her return to competition at the Qatar Open, after being eliminated in her debut match by lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto. The Italian prevailed 6–4, 6–2 to record the third Top-10 victory of her career.

The American arrived in Doha following her quarterfinal loss at the Australian Open to Elina Svitolina, a result that also saw her ranking drop to No. 5. “I just feel like I haven’t showed up with my best level the last few matches,” Gauff said after the match. “I’m just looking to find that again.”

“I just feel like some of the things I’ve been working on in practice aren’t translating to the match court, which is super frustrating,” added the two-time Grand Slam champion. “I’ve been having good practices, but just not playing well in the matches. I just need to find how it can translate.”

“I tried to be more aggressive and was hitting more unforced errors,” the American explained. “When I tried to be a little more passive and play with more shape, she was taking the ball early and crushing the ball. I think I need to figure out how to play against players like her, who hit super flat and take everything early. I think the last two matches showed I’ve been struggling with that. That’s something I need to work on in practice.”

It was a complicated match for the American, who never managed to fully impose her game. She struggled especially on her second serve, winning just 25% of those points throughout the match. However, this time double faults were not the main issue, showing improvement compared to previous defeats, both in 2025 and 2026.

“Today, with only three double faults, that’s positive, and same with the matches I had in Australia,” Gauff said. “I think there weren’t many double faults there, as well. That’s the one positive. Now I need to figure out what I’m doing off the ground to lose these matches.”

However, on this occasion the key moments tilted in favour of Cocciaretto, who saved 4 of the 5 break points she faced and converted 3 of her 11 opportunities throughout the match. The Italian came through a tight first set and then took full control of the match in the second. “Physically, I know I can do it and I can do it when there’s not much pressure,” Gauff added. “I need to figure out how to do it when there’s more pressure.”

Gauff’s elimination adds to the early exit of her compatriot Amanda Anisimova, the defending champion, who arrived at the first WTA 1000 of the year with high ambitions. The world No. 4 said goodbye in her debut in the second round after suffering physical discomfort that forced her to retire during her match against Karolina Pliskova.

The Americans were left without their biggest names early in the tournament, also considering the absence on this occasion of players such as Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Iva Jovic.

As a result, American hopes now rest on Emma Navarro, the world No. 18, who awaits her Round of 32 clash against Anna Kalinskaya. In addition, Ann Li has already reached the third round, where she will look to avenge Gauff when she faces Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto for a place in the quarterfinals.

For Gauff, the next challenge will be the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, a tournament where she exited in the second round in 2025 and where her best result to date has been a semifinal appearance. It will be a good opportunity for the 21-year-old to pick up wins and points as she remains in the fight to stay as the American No. 1.