Defending champion Gauff out of US Open against Navarro as serve deserts her

Coco Gauff, the defending champion at the US Open, was toppled 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the fourth round by her fast-rising fellow American Emma Navarro, who produced a well-rounded performance and managed her visible nerves in the decisive moments to reach the quarter-finals in New York for the first time.

Navarro has been one of the most improved players of the year and, seeded 13th, she continues to rise rapidly up the rankings after finishing 2023 ranked No 32. The 23-year-old has now defeated Gauff in consecutive grand slam tournaments after also outplaying her at Wimbledon. For Gauff, the third seed, her performance was a reminder of the significant problems she needs to address in order to reproduce last year’s results as her forehand and serve collapsed under pressure. She finished the match with an abysmal 19 double faults, including 11 in the final set alone.

Related: US Open 2024: Navarro beats Gauff; Dimitrov defeats Rublev in five sets in last-16 singles – as it happened

Navarro is a smart, efficient player who moves brilliantly, possesses a potent, spinny forehand and has few weaknesses. At Wimbledon, she took another step forward in her development as she completely outplayed Gauff in the fourth round to reach her first grand slam quarter-final.

This match began in a similar vein with Navarro being extremely solid off both wings, maintaining excellent depth and sweeping up all short balls. She also showed some delicate touches at the net with her occasional use of the drop shot.

Gauff had got this far with a confidence boosting win over Elina Svitolina but against such a solid opponent, her familiar problems returned with force as she struggled badly with her second serve and her forehand, finishing the first set with 12 forehand unforced errors.

Navarro positioned herself for another spectacular win under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium as she broke serve to lead 6-3, 4-3. But as she stared down the prospect of defeat, Gauff locked down her own game and refused to miss. The visible energy shift across the net instantly changed the dynamic of the match. As Navarro began to feel the pressure and offer up unforced errors, the match flipped quickly. Gauff reeled off three games in a row and took the set.

But Gauff simply could not keep up the level of consistency and serving excellence that had kept her in the match. Early in the final set, Gauff played a dire service game that included two successive double faults to lose the game. She never recovered and her second serve crumbled completely.

Navarro will next face Paula Badosa, the former world No 2, who continued her resurgence from a career threatening back injury to reach her second grand slam quarter-final with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Yafan Wang.

Elsewhere, the ninth seed, Grigor Dimitrov, held his nerve to defeat Andrey Rublev, the sixth seed, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3 and reach the US Open quarter-finals for the first time in five years. Taylor Fritz, the 12th seed, recovered from a one-set deficit to beat the eighth seed, Casper Ruud.

Meanwhile, Jack Draper believes that he is in the process of positioning himself to compete for the biggest titles in the world over the coming years at a time when the next generation of tennis players are beginning to make an impact in the major events.

“I feel a really big opportunity if I stay injury free and if I keep working hard on my body and having the experiences that I’m having playing week in week out, I’m full of confidence that I will be able to get to that top level,” said Draper.

Related: US Open 2024: last-16 singles matches from Flushing Meadows – live

“It’s just kind of making sure I’m doing all the right things for my mind and my body and being as professional as possible, because my game’s there. I’m working hard all the time to be better, and I don’t feel like I’m too far away, so I’ve just got to keep working, and hopefully over time that level will come and the results will come as well and I can be right at the top of the game with those guys.”

Draper will compete in the fourth round of the US Open for a second consecutive year as he faces Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic on Monday . Both players are seeking their first grand slam quarter-final.