In a stunning turn of events at the 2026 Qatar TotalEnergies Open, Coco Gauff, the world No. 5 and reigning French Open champion, found herself ousted in her opening singles match for the second year running. Facing Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ranked 57th in the world, Gauff fell in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, on Tuesday, February 10. The loss not only continued Gauff’s winless streak in Doha since 2023 but also highlighted persistent issues in her game that have begun to shadow her young but illustrious career.
Gauff entered the tournament as the fourth seed, riding the momentum of a two-time Grand Slam champion and top-five mainstay at just 21 years old. Yet, her campaign in Qatar was brief and fraught with frustration. After receiving a first-round bye, Gauff’s first match quickly turned into a nightmare as Cocciaretto, a lucky loser who had never previously beaten Gauff in three encounters, played with poise and precision to secure her third career win over a top-10 opponent.
“I just feel like some of the things I’ve been working on in practice aren’t translating to the match court, which is super frustrating,” Gauff admitted in the mixed zone after her defeat, according to ESPN. Her struggle was evident on court: she created five break points but managed to convert just one, while her forehand, a shot that has been under scrutiny all season, produced a cascade of errors. Gauff tallied 39 unforced errors against only 13 winners, a stat line that proved insurmountable despite her 80% first-serve success rate.
The match, which lasted just over 90 minutes, saw Gauff broken three times in the second set alone. Cocciaretto, who had previously lost all three meetings with Gauff, seized her opportunity in the slow Doha conditions. The Italian’s steady baseline play and willingness to attack Gauff’s weaker wing paid dividends. “I tried to be more aggressive and was hitting more unforced errors,” Gauff explained. “When I tried to be a little more passive and play with more shape, she was taking the ball early and crushing the ball.”
Cocciaretto’s victory was not just a personal milestone but also a testament to her resilience. Entering the main draw as a lucky loser, she had already defied the odds. Her only two prior top-10 wins had come at Wimbledon, most recently against Jessica Pegula in 2025. This win marked her first-ever main draw victory in Doha and her maiden triumph over Gauff, a player she had failed to take a set from in their previous encounters.
After the match, Cocciaretto was all smiles and quick to credit her recent form to a bit of national pride. “I think this week it’s a bit different for us in Italy. Now I’m more focused on the Winter Olympics than for the tournament. Maybe cheering for the Italian athletes is the key, that’s why I’m playing better maybe!” she joked, as reported by The Tennis Letter. The Italian’s lighthearted approach belied the seriousness with which she dismantled Gauff’s game, especially during the match’s longest rally, where Cocciaretto outlasted the American in a display of grit and tactical awareness.
Gauff’s early exit in singles followed a narrow loss in doubles the previous day, where she and Canadian partner Victoria Mboko lost 5-7, 6-7. The back-to-back defeats left Gauff visibly dejected, but she remains pragmatic about her season’s trajectory. While the loss in Doha will have little immediate impact on her ranking, it does underscore the technical and mental challenges she faces, particularly with her forehand. As one analyst noted, "Changing a serve is difficult, but it is also a closed skill which the player almost entirely controls. A forehand is an open skill, subject to whatever variety of speeds, spins, court positions and contexts Gauff has to manage during any given match."
For Cocciaretto, the victory is a springboard into the Round of 16, where she will face American Ann Li, ranked 41st. The draw in Doha now appears wide open, with several top seeds and notable names—Amanda Anisimova, Jasmine Paolini, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Linda Noskova, and Emma Raducanu—already dispatched in the tournament’s early rounds. With only Jelena Ostapenko remaining among the top-30 ranked players in Cocciaretto’s section, the Italian has a genuine opportunity to extend her run and perhaps script a Cinderella story of her own.
Despite her Doha disappointment, Gauff’s season is far from derailed. She has already demonstrated resilience in bouncing back from setbacks, such as her quarterfinal loss to Elina Svitolina at the Australian Open, where she was beaten 1-6, 2-6. The American will now turn her attention to the Dubai Tennis Championships, set to begin in just five days, where she will look to regain form and confidence on the hard courts of the United Arab Emirates.
The 2026 Qatar TotalEnergies Open continues through February 14, with a host of storylines still developing. While upsets have defined the tournament’s opening days, the presence of top contenders like Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Mirra Andreeva, Victoria Mboko, and Qinwen Zheng ensures that the battle for the title remains fierce. For fans and analysts alike, the question lingers: will Doha’s early turbulence pave the way for a new champion, or will the established stars reassert their dominance?
As for Gauff, her journey in Qatar may have ended prematurely, but her season is just beginning. With a powerful serve, world-class athleticism, and a champion’s mentality, she remains one of the brightest stars on the WTA Tour. All eyes will be on Dubai to see how she responds to this latest setback—and whether she can turn frustration into fuel for another deep tournament run.