Coco Gauff's defence of her US Open title concluded with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 defeat by fellow American Emma Navarro in the fourth round on Sunday. The reigning women's champion became the latest high-profile player to exit early at Flushing Meadows this year. Gauff, aiming to avenge her Wimbledon fourth-round loss, was outplayed by Navarro's aggressive performance at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which propelled her into the quarterfinals for the first time. Despite a spirited comeback after losing the first set, Gauff's 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors sealed her fate in her first Grand Slam title defence.
"Mentally and emotionally, I gave it my all," said the 20-year-old Gauff, who will now fall out of the top five in the world rankings. "Of course, there were execution issues, and I wish I served better. If I had, it might have been a different story. But Emma played really well."
In men's play, Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe advanced to the quarterfinals in the bottom half of the draw, which opened up after four-time champion Novak Djokovic's third-round exit. Zverev, still in search of his first Grand Slam title at 27, reached the quarterfinals for the 13th time after a comeback win over American Brandon Nakashima.
"I'm still very motivated," said Zverev, reflecting on his 2020 final loss to Dominic Thiem. "I still have dreams and goals to achieve. I'm happy with my tennis level and look forward to this week."
Zverev will next face Fritz, who overcame a slow start to defeat Norwegian Casper Ruud, the 2022 finalist. Fritz was joined in the quarterfinals by Tiafoe, who capitalized on Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz's early exits to boost his chances of ending America's 21-year drought for a homegrown men's champion. Tiafoe defeated Alexei Popyrin in a thrilling match, setting up a quarterfinal against Dimitrov, who advanced after a hard-fought victory over sixth seed Andrey Rublev.
Women's second seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her strong form, moving into the last eight with a 6-2, 6-4 win over former doubles partner Elise Mertens. Sabalenka, the twice Australian Open champion, displayed dominant play, particularly in the first set, and will face either Zheng Qinwen or Donna Vekic next.
Navarro will play Spain's Paula Badosa, who secured her place in the New York quarterfinals for the first time with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory over Wang Yafan.
