Following her emphatic win against Naomi Osaka in the third-round, Coco Gauff today fell victim to the “next-round curse” that has plagued so many who register big major tournament upsets.

Gauff entered her fourth-round tie against another talented American youngster Sofia Kenin as the overwhelming favourite but was defeated 7-6 3-6 0-6 by the 21-year-old. 

Despite starting the match strongly and taking the opening set via a tie-break, Gauff struggled from that point onwards and the 15-year-old was visibly exhausted by the end of a match which lasted over two hours.

Victory would have seen Gauff become the youngest Grand-Slam quarter-finalist since Sesil Karatantcheva 15 years ago.

The name Coco Gauff has become so familiar, that even non-tennis enthusiasts are aware of her presence. She received a standing ovation as she walked off the court today, which will no doubt not be her last.

Yet again, the crowd favourite showed maturity beyond that of just tennis. By the time she reached the press room for the interview, she had already come to terms with her loss and instead saw the bigger picture.

“I’m doing well right now at 15, but I still have so much I feel like I can get better on. I don’t even think this is close to a peak for me,” Gauff said.

“I’m definitely going to savour this and continue to build and get better to work for moments like this, moments like that last match.”

Gauff will now look ahead to the year’s next major grand slam at Roland Garros and also has dreams of Olympic qualification as she nears the top 50 in the rankings.

For now the dreams of her first grand-slam win may be over, but the start of a long and illustrious career has still only just begun.