Coco Gauff suffered an emotional ouster in the Paris Olympics singles tennis tournament on Tuesday, falling to Croatia’s Donna Vekić in straight sets, 7-6 (7), 6-2. Gauff was left in tears after an argument with the chair umpire over a ruling in the match. The incident happened two games from the end of the match.
Vekić’s return on a serve from Gauff landed near the baseline. A line judge initially called Vekić’s shot out before Gauff could send it back. However, chair umpire Jaume Campistol believed the shot was in and awarded a point to Vekić. The Croatian tennis player took a 4-2 lead at that point.
"I never argue these calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball," Gauff told Campistol. "It’s not even a perception; it’s the rules. I always have to advocate for myself." Gauff was seen in tears amid the argument.
It was a tough day for Gauff, who initially held a 4-1 lead over Vekić in the first set. But the Wimbledon semifinalist came back and defeated her in a tiebreaker.