A cruel twist of fate has mirrored the fortunes of Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff. Both young tennis sensations, this year’s US Open defenders, have been unceremoniously ousted from the Cincinnati Masters. As the dust settles on their shock defeats, the looming shadow of the US Open casts a daunting presence, promising a perilous path to defending their titles. Looks like the golden children of tennis are in real trouble!

The reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion stunned all his fans with his remarkable tennis in the Grand Slams over the last couple of months. However, as Novak Djokovic crushed his Olympic dreams in the finals, it seems the 21-year-old player is finding it hard to revive himself. The world No. 3 came to Cincinnati “to feel good,” while also gaining some ranking points before stepping into the U.S. Open, where he won his maiden title in 2021. However, he met with Gauff-like fate in Cincy. “I felt like it was the worst match that I ever played in my career,” Alcaraz declared after facing a round-of-32 loss against Gael Monfils in Cincinnati. 

Alcaraz’s early exit casts a long shadow over his upcoming tournaments. Currently ranked No. 3, he faces a daunting path to victory, potentially requiring consecutive wins over Djokovic(No. 2) and Jannik Sinner(No. 1). According to their head-to-head counts, Djokovic has a 4-3 lead over Alcaraz, but Sinner does not (4-5), making their potential face-offs even more intriguing to watch. Surprisingly, he is not the only one facing this adversity at the tennis event!

Following a defeat against Yulia Putintseva in the round-of-32, Gauff took an oath to “reset” herself before the U.S. Open, the tournament where she clinched her maiden grand slam title last year. But will that be the ultimate solution? Sadly, the 20-year-old player has fallen below in her WTA rankings after the loss in Cincinnati (from No. 2 to No. 3). As a result, a fate similar to Alcaraz is waiting for her in New York as well! In order to defend her title, she would have to face Aryna Sabalenka (World No. 2) and Iga Swiatek (World No. 1) back-to-back! 

However, Gauff has previously defeated Sabalenka four times on-court, including last year’s final match at the U.S. Open as well. When it comes to Swiatek, the picture is quite different, as the Pole has outclassed Gauff eleven times! But do not worry, Alcaraz and Gauff’s title defense will be jeopardized only if both their rivals make it to the quarterfinals in New York. However, as of now, clouds of despair are overshadowing Alcaraz’s confidence, as he recently stated after his loss in Cincinnati.

Alcaraz speaks on his “frustrating” match in Cincinnati

When rain halted Alcaraz’s game against Monfils, we waited for last year’s runner-up at the event to quickly take control over the Frenchman. It didn’t happen that way; instead, we had to encounter a rare glimpse of Alcaraz’s meltdown following his opening-round defeat.“..Most of the time I could control myself and I could get better in the matches or in the situations that I’ve been feeling before. Today I couldn’t control myself,”  he said, referring to his breaking the racquet after the match.

The former U.S. Open champion further added, “I was feeling that I was not playing any kind of tennis so it was really frustrating for me. There was at some point, I wanted to leave the court, I don’t want to be on the court anymore. It was [a] really hurtful moment for me and that’s it. I think some players, a lot of players during their careers and during some certain moments, they can’t control themselves and it was one of those moments for me.”

Nevertheless, Alcaraz has vowed to work on his tennis to bring back his usual charm on-court. And as the pressure rises, we are eagerly waiting to witness it in the next tournament!