American tennis star Coco Gauff, 20, was eliminated from the women’s singles competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics after losing to Croatia’s Donna Vekic 7-6 (7), 6-2 in the third round. The match, which took place at Roland-Garros Stadium, was marred by a controversial call that led to an extended argument between Gauff and chair umpire Jaume Campistol.During the second set, Gauff disputed a line judge’s call, believing it to be incorrect. The ensuing discussion with the chair umpire lasted nearly five minutes, during which Gauff became visibly upset and tearful. She was overheard saying, “I’m getting cheated constantly in this game” and “It always happens to me on this court”. The crowd at Roland-Garros initially supported Gauff, booing and jeering during the interruption.Gauff, who entered the tournament as the world’s second-ranked player and a medal favorite, struggled throughout the match, committing seven double faults and maintaining a low serve percentage. Despite her efforts, she was unable to recover from the disputed call, and Vekic, seeded 13th, secured the victory.In the aftermath of the match, Gauff expressed frustration with the lack of video replay technology in tennis, stating that she believes a VAR system would help resolve disputes on the court. This incident has reignited discussions about the potential implementation of such technology in professional tennis.Despite her singles elimination, Gauff remains in contention for medals in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles events. The loss marks a disappointing end to Gauff’s first Olympic singles tournament, but she will have the opportunity to regroup and focus on her remaining events.
Key points
- Coco Gauff was eliminated from the Olympic singles tennis tournament after losing to Donna Vekic 7-6 (7), 6-2.
- A controversial call led to an emotional dispute between Gauff and the chair umpire, lasting nearly five minutes.
- Gauff called for the implementation of video replay technology in tennis to resolve similar disputes in the future.
- Despite her singles elimination, Gauff remains in contention for medals in women’s doubles and mixed doubles events.
Contradictions👾Some sources reported the match as a third-round elimination, while others described it as a quarterfinal match.
This discrepancy may be due to different interpretations of the tournament structure.
