American teen sensation Gau su ers first-round defeat

NEW YORK (AP) — Coco Gauff won over New York and became an instant fan favorite during her run of inspired tennis a year ago at the U.S. Open. A year later, no fans, no energy, and no singles victory for Gauff — the teen sensation is out of the U.S. Open on Day 1.

Anastasija Sevastova knocked off the 16-year-old Gauff in three sets, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. The 31st-seeded Sevastova sent Gauff to her earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament in four appearances. She had never lost in the first two rounds.

“Just the beginning,” Gauff said Monday. “I just got on tour a little over a year ago, so I still have a lot to learn and a long ways to go.”

She’s good enough at 16 to impress a veteran like Sevastova.

“I wish I would play like this when I was 16 years old,” Sevastova said with a laugh. “Great player. Nothing more to say. I think she maybe started a bit slower than me, but she was getting better as the match went on.”

Gauff lost in Louis Armstrong Stadium, where she won two matches last year and made it to the third round before losing to 2018 champion Naomi Osaka in a match that ended in tears for the teen and a hug from the winner.

After collecting a singles trophy at Linz, Austria, in October — becoming the youngest WTA title winner since 2004 — Gauff began the 2020 Grand Slam season by defeating Venus Williams and winning a rematch against Osaka at the Australian Open en route to the fourth round there.

Gauff was largely off her game against Sevastova and had 13 double-faults, an unsettling result after she also lost in the first round in the Western & Southern Open, the tournament that preceded the U.S. Open at the same site.

She was also beaten at Lexington, Kentucky, this month in the semifinals of her first tournament after tennis was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The main part that hurt was just getting matches under my belt, getting experience,” Gauff said. “That’s what I need on tour. I’m playing against people older than me who have been in more situations, difficult situations, than I have. I think the biggest thing is I just need experience.”

Gauff, though, has found her voice on social issues and delivered an impromptu speech at a Black Lives Matter rally in Florida in June, when she implored the audience to vote. Gauff said she wanted to continue to speak out on racial injustice and police brutality.

“I feel like, especially my generation, has been popular to speak out, not be afraid to use our voice,” she said.