-Washington DC
The Citi Open tennis tournament in Washington was dealt a blow on Tuesday afternoon. In the sweltering heat which saw temperatures reaching 34 degrees celsius and nearly 40 degrees court side, 15-year old American qualifier and crowd favourite Cori “Coco” Gauff lost in straight sets 6-4 6-2 to Zarina Diyas in an hour and 19 minutes.
Gauff, who got into the qualifying draw as a wild card and then won her two qualifying matches with relative ease, struggled with her consistency in the opening round before succumbing to the World No. 84.
It was a packed house on John Harris Court, the second biggest at the Rock Creek Tennis Center. Fans sweating through the hot and humid conditions to get a glimpse of the youngster who made headlines after reaching the Fourth Round at Wimbledon earlier this month.
Gauff, ranked 146 in the World, broke Diyas twice in the opening set including the very first game of the match. However, each time she broke she failed to consolidate those breaks. The second one coming at Love which included two double faults from the teenager.
After three attempts to close out the set in the 12th game, Diyas was finally able to convert after the Florida native’s forehand found the middle of the net. Gauff fired a ball into the crowd in disgust after being broken for the third time.
In the second set, the players held serve until the sixth game when Diyas got the advantage. Gauff hit another unforced error from the forehand side into the net. She double faulted again giving Diyas her fourth break in 13 chances.
Gauff found herself down Love-40 on several occasions and was unable to get out of the same hole in the final game of the match. A seventh double fault sealed the deal for Diyas who moved into round two. An unfortunate result for the large numbers who turned out hoping the potential future star of the game would play deeper into the week in singles.
“I knew that I would get a little more support but I didn’t think it would be as much,” said Gauff. “After Wimbledon a couple of weeks had gone by and I thought it would settle down a little bit. But I guess people are still excited and I’m happy for that and I’m happy that I am getting this opportunity to play in front of a big crowd in my home country.”
“I think I was playing more aggressive today and I served better,” said Diyas. “I knew there was going to be a big crowd and they going to support her a lot. So I was ready for it.”
Gauff isn’t gone from the tournament just yet. She won her First Round Doubles match with 17-year old partner Catherine McNally defeating Diyas and her partner in the process. The plan after this week is to train at home to get ready for her next event, the US Open. She will also play an exhibition match vs Ash Barty on August 21st at the Winston-Salem Open.
@Sportshorn
