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Team USA flag-bearer and 20-year-old superstar Coco Gauff was eliminated from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on Tuesday after a 7-6, 6-2 loss to Croatia’s Donna Vekic.
Gauff took a 5-3 lead in the opening set before Vekic roared back and won the tiebreaker 9-7. But the second set was far more contentious. The two players went back and forth, exchanging games before Vekic broke Gauff following a controversial out call on a serve return.
Following the out call, Gauff hit a shot into the net. But the chair umpire deemed the call incorrect and did not come until after Gauff hit her shot, thus giving Vekic the point. Vekic went on to win the set and never looked back.
Coco Gauff talking through tears as she's not happy with the umpire in her match at Olympics
Vekic’s ball was called out, but it was in, so the line judge corrected it.
Coco hit that ball into the net.
The umpire says it’s Donna’s point. He believes the 'out' call didn't… pic.twitter.com/VKoCV79bOT
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 30, 2024
Coco Gauff’s Run At The Paris Olympics Ends In Controversy
“I feel like I’m getting cheated constantly in this game,” Gauff said to the match supervisor after the call. “This is the 3rd time this happened to me this year.”
The argument extended to nearly five minutes while Vekic could only look on. Gauff even broke down into tears at one point.
She came out in the next game and took a 40-0 lead on Vekic’s serve before the Croatian came roaring back to win the game.
Gauff entered the tournament as the second seed between French Open champ and world No. 1 Iga Switek. Vekic, meanwhile, advances to the quarterfinals where she’ll face either seventh-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece on 12th-seeded Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine.
Two Americans remain in the draw. Eighth-seeded Danielle Collins already reached the quarterfinal. While 11th-seeded Emma Navarro is currently up a set against sixth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China in the round of 16. Jessica Pegula, the fourth and final American in the draw, lost in the second round to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.