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MASON, Ohio − The “Summer of Coco” will not have an encore.
Coco Gauff’s Cincinnati Open title defense was over quickly after the World No. 2 fell in three sets − 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 − to World No. 34 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan Thursday afternoon on Center Court.
Putintseva, who entered Thursday 0-3 all-time against Gauff (all on clay), had the reigning champ on the ropes early, winning the opening set. Gauff stormed back in the second with a strong serve that produced eight aces throughout the match.
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In the third set, it was Putintseva’s only ace − which followed a dazzling cross-court backhand with Gauff at the net to force match point in the 10th game − that ended Gauff’s time in Cincinnati early.
“It was not the best match for me,” Gauff told the WTA in an exclusive interview that was made available to the media afterward. “She (Putintseva) mixes up the ball. She has drop shots, slice. She’s kind of someone that makes you earn the match.”
Serena Williams remains the last WTA player to win back-to-back Cincinnati Open titles (2014-15). Gauff will begin another title defense next week at the U.S. Open in New York.
“I feel like I have to work on my consistency, overall,” Gauff said. “I’m making a lot of unforced errors.”
Putintseva entered Thursday just 6-26 all-time against top 5 opponents, but now has wins over the top 2 players in the WTA Rankings this summer after defeating World No. 1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon.
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Advancing to the Cincinnati Open’s third round after four career Round of 32 losses (2017, 2019, 2020, 2021), Putintseva will play Spain’s Paula Badosa (World No. 36) for a spot in the quarterfinals.
She will pull double-duty alongside partner Leylah Fernandez, who also notched a second-round upset in singles Thursday by beating World No. 4 Elena Rybakina, in the doubles draw during the evening session.
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