World No. 3 Coco Gauff crashes out of Qatar open
World No. 3 Coco Gauff suffered an early exit at the 2025 Qatar TotalEnergies Open, falling to Marta Kostyuk in straight sets, 2-6, 5-7. The 20-year-old American, who had a bye in the first round, struggled with her serve and never found her rhythm against the in-form Ukrainian.
From the start, Kostyuk looked sharper, breaking Gauff early and dominating rallies. Meanwhile, Gauff’s serve let her down at the important moments. She recorded seven double faults, including two back-to-back in the final game, which gifted Kostyuk her first two match points. The Ukrainian wasted no time, converting the second to close out the match.
Despite Gauff’s late push in the second set, Kostyuk held her nerve. “Coco is an incredible player, but I stayed aggressive and stuck to my plan,” Kostyuk said after her impressive win.
Gauff returned to the Middle East fresh off her WTA Finals triumph in Riyadh but couldn’t carry that momentum into Doha. She had hoped to secure her third WTA 1000 title, but instead, she was sent packing in her opening match.
This is Gauff’s third straight early exit in Doha, raising questions about her ability to handle the conditions here.
With this win, Kostyuk moves into the third round, where she will face Magda Linette. As for Gauff, she will have to regroup and prepare for her next tournament, hoping to recover from this setback.
