Coco Gauff suffered a shock defeat to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro at the United Cup on Monday, admitting afterward that she spent time at the bathroom to reflect and recover. The American later rebounded to help the Americans secure the tie in mixed doubles.
Gauff was beaten 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-0 by the World No. 42, committing a whopping 14 double faults and dropping serve nine times. The loss ended her perfect United Cup record, having entered the match 6-0 in singles and 9-0 overall.
“Obviously it wasn’t a great match for me,” Gauff said post-match. “Once it was over, I kind of just sat in the bathroom for a little bit.”
Statistically, it was a difficult outing for the World No. 3, who landed 60% of her first serves and won fewer than 60% of those points. She also finished with 54 unforced errors.
Gauff showed glimpses of a comeback in the second set, rallying from 4-1 down and taking the tiebreak convincingly. Bouzas Maneiro, however, responded with a dominant final set, breaking serve three times to seal the biggest win of her career in 2 hours and 12 minutes.
Taylor Fritz kept the Americans alive with a gritty 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(6) win over Jaume Munar. Gauff then partnered Christian Harrison to clinch the tie with a commanding 7-6(5), 6-0 victory in the deciding mixed doubles.
“I had a lot of confidence in Taylor, and that helped me reset,” Gauff said. “That’s the beauty of this event—your teammates can pick you up on your off days.”
With a place in the quarterfinals secured and their title defense firmly on track, the Americans now await the best runner-up from the Sydney groups.
“Good To Have Those Pressure Situations Early” – Gauff Stays Positive After United Cup Upset
Gauff remained upbeat despite the loss, saying the match offered valuable lessons so early in the season. She noted that experiencing pressure moments now could prove beneficial ahead of the Australian Open.
“I think it’s good to have those pressure situations early,” Gauff said. “This is my only event before Australia, so I’m trying to work through those things and build toward both tournaments.”
The loss brought her winning run at the United Cup to an end, but the 21-year-old remained positive about the bigger picture. She added that while she would always prefer a straight-sets win, long matches can still be useful when approached with the right mindset.
“I’d rather win in straights, but it doesn’t hurt to go three—especially when you’re on the winning side,” Gauff said. “I’m looking forward to doing better in the next matches.”
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