U.S. Open 2024: Defending Champ Coco Gauff Knocked Out By ...

A series of mistakes led to Coco Gauff's exit at the U.S. Open on Sunday. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty ... [+] Images)

Coco Gauff said she won’t beat herself up after a series of mistakes ended her U.S. Open title defense on Sunday, as she lost 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to fellow American Emma Navarro in the fourth round.

Gauff became the latest high-profile player to exit the tournament after Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, who crashed out in the third and second rounds respectively in the men’s draw.

The 20-year-old Gauff, who last year became the first American teenager to win the U.S. Open title since Serena Williams in 1999, registered 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors in her defeat to Navarro at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It was the second time she lost to Navarro in the Grand Slams this year, having been knocked out by her in the fourth round of Wimbledon.

“I guess for me, yeah, it's not the summer that I want," Gauff told reporters. “I feel like there's, like, 70 other players in the draw that would love to have the summer that I had even though [my results dipped] during this time of the year.”

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Gauff reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and French Open this season before suffering a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon.

She had a frustrating build-up to the U.S. Open, as she crashed out in the third round at the Canadian Open in Toronto and suffered an opening-round exit as the defending champion in Cincinnati. At the Olympics in Paris, she lost in the third round.

“So many people want to be in the fourth round. So many people want to make the Olympics. So many people want to be the flag bearer. It's perspective,” Gauff added.

“Obviously, because I'm wanting to reach a different level it is disappointing, but I'm not going to beat myself up and be, like, this was so bad.

“Yeah, I expect better, but at the end of the day it happened, and I know I can turn it around,” she added.

Gauff said she regretted her poor service game. (Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Navarro broke for 4-2 in the first set and sealed the opening set in the ninth game where one rally lasted 27 shots.

In the second set, Gauff recovered from a break down to level the match but served up three more double faults to slip a crucial break down again in the decider.

Gauff ended the match with 19 double faults — as many as she had in her first three matches combined — and made 60 unforced errors.

The third seed said she was open to bringing in a specialist coach to work on her serve.

“I definitely want to get other opinions,” Gauff said.

“I think it's sometimes more of an emotional, mental thing because if I go out on the practice court right now, I would make, like, 30 serves in a row. I've done it before. I think it's also just kind of a mental hurdle that I have to get over when it comes with that.

"But, yeah, I definitely want to look at other things because I don't want to lose matches like this anymore."

Gauff’s exit means Serena Williams remains the last woman to successfully defend the U.S. Open title, in 2014.

Following her defeat, Gauff will also drop out of the top five WTA rankings.