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Coco Gauff suffered an unexpected loss to Katerina Siniakova in the second round of the 2023 Qatar Open, and many fans were stunned by the result.
Siniakova was all over second-seeded Gauff early in the match, breaking the American thrice to take the first set, 6-2. Gauff found some form in the second set to race to a 4-0 lead and looked set to force a decider. However, Siniakova quickly shifted gears to win the next six games and wrap up the contest 6-2, 6-4, in an hour and 20 minutes.
This was Siniakova's second tour-level win over Gauff, whose game was undone by a whopping 30 unforced errors. The Czech had beaten Donna Vekic in straight sets in her opening-round match and will fight for a quarterfinal spot against another American, Danielle Collins, on February 14.
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Tennis fans were astonished to see Gauff suffer an early blow in Doha. Many praised Siniakova for taking advantage of the American's weaknesses. Some hoped this was just a blip in Gauff's excellent recent form, and that she would be back to her best in her next tournament.
"Surely Gauff’s worst loss in many, many months," tennis journalist Jose Morgado wrote.
"That was a hidden bagel in the 2nd set. Devastating display of skills by Katerina. Coco was simply outclassed," a fan posted on X.
"Sniakova ended that Fraud coco gauff. Goes to show how Easy draws helps some players in SLAMS sniakova exposed how weak Gauff game is today," commented another fan.
"Czech Mate. Siniakova proving to more than capable in singles as well as doubles. Gauff will have some time to regroup before Dubai.. nice setup with back 2 back 1000s right next door," a fan wrote.
Here are more fan reactions to Coco Gauff's loss to Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the 2024 Qatar Open:
Coco Gauff reached semifinal of the 2024 Australian Open
Coco Gauff arrived in Doha in excellent form, having reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career. The 19-year-old, seeded No. 4, defeated Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Caroline Dolehide, Alycia Parks and Magdalena Frech in straight sets in the first four rounds in Melbourne.
Gauff survived the stern test of a three-set marathon against Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinal. The eventual champion and No. 2 seed, Aryna Sabalenka, ended the American's run in Melbourne in the semifinal.
Gauff began her 2024 season by defending her title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. The reigning US Open champion defeated Claire Liu, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Varvara Gracheva, Emma Navarro and second-seed Elina Svitolina on the way to the title at the WTA 250 tournament.
