WTA

Defending champion Gauff stunned by Putintseva at Cincinnati Open

By Sports Desk August 15, 2024

Yulia Putintseva produced an impressive upset, knocking defending champion Coco Gauff out of the Cincinnati Open in the second round.

The 29-year-old rallied over three sets to hold off Gauff's comeback with a 6-4 2-6 6-4 win in just under two hours.

Putintseva immediately set the tone by breaking the American's serve twice in the opening three games, and though Gauff pulled back to level things at 4-4, the Kazakh got another vital break to take the first set.

The world number two came out on a mission in the second though, piecing together a three-game winning streak as she managed to force a decider.

And it looked like Gauff had found her stride when she took a 4-2 lead, but Putintseva won the last four games in a row to turn the tide and set up a meeting with Paula Badosa in the next round.

Data Debrief: Gauff falls short again

After a disappointing Olympic debut, Gauff made an early exit from the Canadian Open, and she has been relegated to another early exit here.

She was looking to become just the second player to win consecutive titles here, but instead, she struggled once again, making nine double faults against a flawless opponent.

Meanwhile, Putintseva is playing her first tournament since Wimbledon, where she knocked out Iga Swiatek en route to the fourth round. Before this year, she had never progressed past the first round in Cincinnati. 

Now, she is only the fourth player in the past four decades ranked outside the WTA's top 20 to claim wins over the top two on multiple surfaces in a season.

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    Tallon Griekspoor produced a thrilling comeback to help the Netherlands reach the Davis Cup final for the very first time after they downed Germany 2-0 in Malaga. 

    After losing the opening set to Jan-Lennard Struff, Griekspoor held his nerve to emerge a 4-6 (4-7) 7-5 6-4 victor on an enthralling day of action on Friday. 

    Earlier in the day, Botic van de Zandschulp, who beat Rafael Nadal in the final match of the Spaniard's career on Tuesday, put the Dutch 1-0 up with a win over Daniel Altmaier. 

    The world number 80 needed 10 match points to wrap up a tense 6-4 6-7 (12-14) 6-3 victory, after Altmaier saved five break points in a second set tie-break.

    Griekspoor then stopped the best-of-three tie from going to the deciding doubles, rallying back with a fine display, though Struff let two crucial break points slip in the eighth game of the second set.

    “We have been talking about this [moment] for two or three years,” said Griekspoor.

    “We came here all the time with unbelievably tough draws, but we believed in ourselves so much. We always felt like this was possible.

    "To do it now feels unbelievable. I am so happy for the team, and for Holland.

    “I just tried to focus on my own game. I felt like he was playing unbelievable tennis, I didn’t do much wrong in the first set.

    "I’m super proud of myself, super proud of the effort and very happy to get the win in the end.”

    The Netherlands await either reigning Davis Cup champions Italy or Australia, who face off in the other semi-final on Saturday.

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    But their victory was made possible by Griekspoor, who converted both his break points, while fittingly sealing his encounter with his 25th ace of the contest. 

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    The pair, who won gold at the Paris Olympics, beat Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton 6-4 6-4 to put Lleyton Hewitt's side into their third successive semi-final at the men's team event.

    Australia, who have won the tournament 28 times, largely had Thanasi Kokkinakis to thank after his remarkable triumph over Shelton in the first match of the day.

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    “We were expecting the other pair, but we knew they’ve got incredible players who can play doubles,” said Ebden.

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    Ebden and Thompson also shone when it mattered most, serving four aces compared to Paul and Shelton's two, while also winning 92% of their first-serve points. 

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