Coco Gauff out of US Open after 1st-round loss to Sevastova

Coco Gauff, who captured the imagination of the tennis world last year at just 15 years old, was eliminated in the first round of the US Open on Monday, losing 3-6, 7-5, 4-6 to the 31st-seeded Anastasija Sevastova.

It's the first time Gauff, now 16, has lost in the first round of a Grand Slam.

Gauff's breakout 2019 included a first-round win over Venus Williams at Wimbledon and a stirring run to the third round of the US Open, where Naomi Osaka eventually stopped her in straight sets.

On Monday, she returned to Louis Armstrong Stadium, where the American had thrived in front of a partisan crowd. But this time, the seats were empty, the sounds hollow, and the outcome far different.

Gauff double-faulted 13 times and had her serve broken on seven occasions. She rallied from 4-2 down in the second set but ultimately faltered in the third and decisive set.

Sevastova is hoping to recapture the form that helped her reach the quarterfinals of the 2016 and 2017 US Open and the semifinals in 2018. She came into Monday's match with a paltry 1-8 record in singles in 2020.

"There were a lot of nerves in the first two sets, and I had some problems with my eyes. I couldn't see very well in the second set," the 30-year-old Latvian said afterward. "But I stayed calm and took my chances. I have such amazing memories here from years before. So I can see success for myself, and finally I won a match."