CINCINNATI (AP) — Defending champion Coco Gauff lost Thursday in her opening match at the Cincinnati Open, falling to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Gauff, then 19, became the youngest Cincinnati champion last year on her way to winning the U.S. Open a few weeks later. This time, after a bye in the first round, the No. 2 seed blew a 4-2 lead in the third set and lost to Putintseva for the first time in four career meetings.
Putintseva, who beat top-ranked Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, will face Spain’s Paula Badosa on Friday in the third round.
The women’s No. 4 seed also was eliminated, with Elena Rybakina falling to Leylah Fernandez 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4. No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka won her opening match, beating Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4.
Taylor Townsend kept up her strong summer by beating No. 9 seed Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 and will face either fellow American Jessica Pegula, the No. 6 seed, or Karolina Muchova.
In men’s action, No. 12 seed Ben Shelton outlasted Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (9-7), 6-3. An American, Brandon Nakashima, beat France’s Arthur Fils 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) to set up a meeting with No. 6 seed Andrey Rublev.
No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz was in action Thursday night against Gael Monfils.
Fifth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz also reached the round of 16, but No. 8 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 9 Stefanos Tsitsipas were both ousted. Dimitrov fell to Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; while Britain’s Jack Draper beat Tsitsipas 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
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