Coco Gauff suffered a straight-sets defeat to world No. 57 Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the first round of the Qatar Open on February 10, 2026. The American, ranked No. 5, lost 6-4, 6-2 in a match lasting just over 90 minutes, marking her third consecutive early exit from the tournament in Doha. Cocciaretto secured her first career win over Gauff after three prior losses.
Coco Gauff entered the Qatar Open seeking a turnaround following a 6-1, 6-2 quarterfinal loss to Elina Svitolina at the Australian Open. However, her campaign ended abruptly against 25-year-old Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Gauff struggled with her serve, committing three double faults and winning only 31 service points, while Cocciaretto dominated with 45 service points won and a 50% success rate on second serves.
The match began competitively, with Gauff fighting in the opening set, but Cocciaretto broke her serve three times to take control. This victory marked Cocciaretto's first over Gauff in four meetings, where the American had previously never dropped a set. Post-match, Cocciaretto reflected on her mindset: “I think this week it’s a bit different for us in Italy. Now I’m more focused on the Winter Olympics than on the tournament. Maybe cheering for the Italian athletes is the key, that’s why I’m playing better, maybe!” She also praised her opponent: “It’s an honor to be able to play such a great example for me. She’s a really great player and a really great person. It was an honor to share the court with her today. I’m really happy to be in the next round here in Doha.”
Ahead of the match, Gauff had expressed intentions to adopt a more aggressive approach: “I think I want to be more aggressive here. I thought I did well in my previous matches at the Australian Open, but I think I lost it in that match. So I think just wanting to capitalize on that.” Despite the effort, the loss compounded a challenging week, as Gauff and partner Victoria Mboko also exited doubles early, falling 4-6, 6-4, 11-9 to Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in a tiebreak after squandering three match points.
Gauff will return to No. 4 in the rankings on Monday, with attention now turning to her next tournament.
