Share

Teen star Coco, top seed Stephens crash out in Washington

Washington - Coco Gauff, the American teen who electrified Wimbledon with a last-16 run, and US top seed Sloane Stephens crashed out on Tuesday in round one of the WTA Washington Open.

Eighth-ranked Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, lost to Sweden's Rebecca Peterson 6-2, 7-5 while 15-year-old qualifier Gauff fell to Kazakhstan's 84th-ranked Zarina Diyas 6-4, 6-2.

"Every loss is something I learn from," Gauff said. "Overall it was a good experience."

The US Open women's hardcourt tune-up event lost its only top-10 entrant in Stephens and its star attraction in 146th-ranked Gauff, whose loss came in her first main-draw match since she fell to eventual champion Simona Halep at Wimbledon.

"I'm looking forward to the US Open and hope I can make a good result there," Gauff said. "I'm going to work on being more aggressive and trusting myself a little more on the court."

Gauff has been shocked at the whirlwind speed at which her life has changed and that crowds still pack every seat to watch her.

"I'm happy for all the support," said Gauff. "I thought it would settle back after a couple weeks but I guess people are still excited.

"All this has changed so quickly so it's hard sometimes but having the experience is definitely going to help me for the US Open."

Stephens, whose first WTA title came at Washington in 2015, exited with one win or less for the eighth time in 10 non-Grand Slam starts this year.

"I could have played better," said Stephens. "It was hot. Tough conditions. But you know from here only thing you can do is improve."

Stephens, 26, split with coach Kamau Murray in late 2018 after four years together and has been guided by Sven Groeneveld for the past two months.

"I've tried to have a good attitude and let the chips fall where they may going forward," Stephens said.

"We're starting fresh. We've done pretty well. I need to have fun and enjoy what I'm doing."

Peterson collected her first victory in nine tries against a top-10 rival.

"Fought for every point that was out there," Peterson said. "I stayed in the moment."

Diyas dispatched the crowd favourite before a packed second stadium.

"I knew there was going to be a big crowd and they were going to support her so I was ready for it. I was more aggressive. I served better.

"She's so young but she's really good. She's so strong and she has a big serve. She's moving well. I think she's going to be very big in the future."

Gauff, who can't yet drive, has impressed foes and friends alike.

"She's cool. She's locked in and ready to go," said 40th-ranked ATP pal Frances Tiafoe. "She will have a hell of a career. The sky is the limit if she stays focused."

US second seed Madison Keys was impressed at Gauff's poise in Wimbledon's intense atmosphere.

"How she has handled it and how mature she is - she's so wise beyond her years," Keys said. "I was just really impressed with how well she handled herself on court. I'm not sure that many of us could have done so well.

"Everyone knew she was a great player and that she could do a lot. The fact she did it right off the bat was pretty impressive."

Gauff is already a role model, Keys saying: "It has been fun watching her and reminding myself I used to be that excited to play."

Results from Tuesday's matches at the ATP and WTA Washington Open (x denotes seeding):  

Men

Second round

Kyle Edmund (GBR x13) bt Lloyd Harris (RSA) 6-1, 6-4

Frances Tiafoe (USA x16) bt Alexander Bublik (KAZ) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)

Daniil Medvedev (RUS x3) bt Bjorn Fratangelo (USA) 6-3, 6-4

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x2) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5

Marin Cilic (CRO x6) bt Marius Copil (ROM) 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4)

First round

Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) bt Daniel Evans (GBR) 6-4, 6-1

Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) bt Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 7-6 (8/6), 6-3

Reilly Opelka (USA) bt Chris Eubanks (USA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)

Jordan Thompson (AUS) bt Jack Sock (USA) 7-5, 6-3

Peter Gojowczyk (GER) bt Andrey Rublev (RUS) 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 7-6 (7/2)

Nick Kyrgios (AUS) bt Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (USA) 7-5, 6-4

Women

First round

Monica Puig (PUR x8) bt Allie Kiick (USA) 6-4, 6-2

Rebecca Peterson (SWE) bt Sloane Stephens (USA x1) 6-2, 7-5

Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) bt Shelby Rogers (USA) 6-4, 6-4

Zarina Diyas (KAZ) bt Coco Gauff (USA) 6-4, 6-2

Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Sachia Vickery (USA) 6-2, 7-5

Hailey Baptiste (USA) bt Madison Keys (USA x2) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2

Catherine McNally (USA) bt Zhu Lin (CHN) 6-4, 6-2

Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE x4) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-4, 6-3

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2244 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE