The No. 2 women’s seed is out after Coco Gauff lost her fourth-round match on Center Court to No. 19 seed Emma Navarro on Sunday. Gauff fell in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
Gauff, 20, looked frustrated and frequently flustered during the match as Navarro regularly put her on the defensive with her forehand. During the second set, Gauff looked over to her player box at least a couple of times, seeking answers from coach Brad Gilbert. She could be seen saying to the coach, “Tell me something.”
Unfortunately for Gauff, there were no solutions to be found.
Emma Navarro wins the all American matchup on Centre Court 🫨
The No.19 seed defeats No.2 seed Coco Gauff in straight sets to move through into the quarter-finals 👊#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/GlLznb6ywC
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2024
As the match progressed, Navarro stayed composed and gained confidence while Gauff appeared anxious, perhaps feeling the pressure of being a top seed with her first trip to the Wimbledon quarterfinals at stake.
Instead, Navarro was the one to advance past the fourth round after her first win over a top-five opponent. She will face No. 7 Jasmine Paolini on Tuesday.
“Definitely saw her a little bit, getting frustrated and looking at her box,” Navarro said to ABC’s Mary Joe Fernandez after the match. “In tough times, you’ll use anything to give you a bit of momentum. Maybe seeing that helped me a little bit and gave me some confidence.”
Navarro, 23, is playing in her second Wimbledon tournament after an impressive college career at Virginia. As a freshman, she won the NCAA women’s singles championship in 2021.
“Really grateful to be out here on Centre Court”
Reaching your first ever Grand Slam quarter-final on Centre Court against the No.2 seed – well played, Emma Navarro 👏 pic.twitter.com/G6ArNnvZxy
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2024
Gauff’s defeat seems especially surprising because she has been on an upward track after winning last year’s U.S. Open and reaching the semifinals at this year’s French Open. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event she hasn’t advanced to the final eight.
Breaking through to the semifinals at the All England Club was the next natural step on that path. After defeating Caroline Dolehide, Anca Todini and Sonay Kartal with little difficulty, Gauff was looking especially formidable. And she defeated Navarro in January at the ASB Classic.
The upset loss comes a day after No. 1 seed Iga Świątek lost her third-round match to Yulia Putintseva on Saturday. Świątek losing appeared to clear a path for Gauff to a possible Wimbledon title, but she couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.
Elena Rybakina is the only one of the top five women’s seeds still alive in the tournament. She plays No. 17 Anna Kalinskaya on Monday.