Coco Gauff shows vulnerability, says she ‘kind of broke down’ after 64-minute US Open demolition by Naomi Osaka

US Open: Coco Gauff lost 3-6, 2-6 against Naomi Osaka in the round of 16

Coco Gauff shared a vulnerable moment with her team after a 64-minute demolition by Naomi Osaka ended her US Open campaign. The 2022 champion admitted she “kind of broke down” before eventually focusing on the positives of her run to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.

Coco Gauff of the United States reacts against Naomi Osaka of Japan during their Women's Singles Fourth Round match on Day Nine of the 2025 US Open(Getty Images via AFP) — Coco Gauff of the United States reacts against Naomi Osaka of Japan during their Women’s Singles Fourth Round match on Day Nine of the 2025 US Open(Getty Images via AFP)

Gauff, who has struggled to find her rhythm since winning the French Open crown in June, lost 3-6, 2-6 against Osaka in the round of 16. The American made 33 unforced errors to Osaka’s 12.

“I think that trying to be more positive. After the match, I was really disappointed,” Gauff said. “Kind of broke down to my team. Then hearing their perspectives and everything, it definitely is a lot of positive things. I think if I kept the way I was going in Cincinnati to here, I would have been out the first round. So I think where my serve started from the start of the tournament to today was a big improvement.

“I feel like now I just have to get everything to work together. But, yeah, I knew going in it was going to be a tough tournament for me. Did I feel like I had a lot of confidence after my last match? Yeah, definitely. I think that was a big confidence booster. So today feels more disappointing, I think, than maybe it would have felt losing in the first or second round.”

The 2025 US Open has been a roller coaster of emotions for Gauff, who had earlier broken down in tears during her second-round match against Donna Vekic.

“For sure it was not the level that I wanted to bring, but it is a step in the right direction I feel, and I think emotionally how much this week was, I think today I just stepped in, and I maybe was a little bit empty. She forced me to earn every point out there today,” Gauff said.

Gauff capped off a topsy-turvy Grand Slam season in 2025. She made the quarters in the Australian Open, before beating Aryna Sabalenka to claim her second career Slam in Paris. However, she struggled to hold on to the momentum on grass, where she suffered a round-one exit at Wimbledon – a second such instance in London having earlier incurred the same in 2023.