An incorrect call by the umpire sparked a heated exchange. The umpire erroneously ruled Gauff’s first serve out, leading to confusion as Pliskova hit the ball into the net. Despite Gauff’s successful challenge, she was denied the point and forced to retake the serve, as the umpire deemed his mistake had hindered Pliskova.
“You called it out after she hit it,” Gauff contested, demanding the supervisor’s intervention. “Can you not cut me off for two seconds? Call the supervisor… you can’t deny me the supervisor. I’m gonna ask her what the rule is.”
Despite the setback, Gauff managed to maintain her composure and secured a 5-2 lead, eventually leveling the match at one set apiece. Reflecting on the incident afterward, Gauff acknowledged the surge of adrenaline it provided, stating, “Luckily I was able to overcome that pretty quickly. I’m glad I was able to reset… It definitely gave me some adrenaline. I think it just fueled me.”
Coco Gauff is not happy with the umpire in her match against Pliskova.
“You called it out after she hit it.”
“Can you not cut me off for two seconds?”
“Call the supervisor… you can’t deny me the supervisor. I’m gonna ask her what the rule is.”
Coco hit a serve that was… pic.twitter.com/QyfBN1q6D6
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 21, 2024
Gauff’s resilience shone through as she focused on the task at hand, acknowledging the inevitability of mistakes in tennis. “It happens in tennis. Players make mistakes; everybody makes mistakes,” she remarked. The final set remained closely contested until Gauff seized a crucial break in the eighth game, ultimately clinching victory and advancing to her third quarter-final of 2024.
Looking ahead, Gauff will face Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya in the quarter-finals, following Kalinskaya’s upset victory against ninth seed Jelena Ostapenko. Despite the umpire clash, Gauff’s determination and ability to overcome adversity underscore her status as a formidable competitor on the tennis court.
Gauff in Dubai, ranking, and results in 2024
Now ranked no.3 (career-high), the American has achieved an overall 12-2 record in 2024. The American is now playing in Dubai where she overcame the world no.58 Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1 7-5 and the world no.36 Karolina Pliskova 2-6 6-4 6-3.
Coco Gauff will face the world no.40 Anna Kalinskaya in the quarter on Wednesday at 7:00 pm on Centre Court. They have never competed against each other as of now in top tournaments.
Coco has won 1 title in 2024 in Auckland.
Gauff won 7 titles in her career: 5 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts and 1 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
