Coco Gauff let her emotions show as she was knocked out of the French Open after losing to Barbora KrejÄíková in straight sets.Playing in her first Grand Slam quarter-final, the 17-year-old started the match strongly, racing to a 3-0 lead.Gauff had five set points in total, but the Czech saved them all and then clinched the tie-break 8-6 to steal the opener out of nowhere.Visibly frustrated with herself for letting the chances slip, the teenager couldn’t regain her composure and was broken twice as KrejÄíková raced to a 5-0 lead in the second set.After losing her serve for the second time, the American proceeded to smash her racket in frustration as the supportive crowd struggled to comprehend such a quick turn in fortunes.
It was the sort of outburst we’ve rarely seen from the young prodigy, but one that was understandable given the nature of the match and her early control of proceedings.
The US star did manage to fight back somewhat, breaking back once and holding serve to bring the score to 5-3. However, KrejÄíková then held her nerve to book a place in the semi-finals.
“I never imagined I would be standing here one day,” the 25-year-old said.
The Czech will now play Greece’s Maria Sakkari for a place in the final. The 17th seed saw off defending champion Iga ÅšwiÄ…tek in straight sets, meaning a first-time winner of the competition is now guaranteed.