Shock Upset in Indian Wells – Coco Gauff Sent Packing! What Happened?

Coco Gauff’s struggles continued as she suffered another disappointing tournament exit. The American bowed out in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells after a tough three-set battle against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, who claimed a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Gauff returned to her home soil following poor performances in the Middle East, where she failed to win a single match in Doha and Dubai. Unfortunately, her campaign in Indian Wells didn’t go much better, as she managed only two wins before being eliminated by the in-form Bencic.

Bencic, who recently returned to competition after maternity leave, had a slow start to the match, falling behind 0-2 early in the first set. Although she quickly leveled at 2-2, Gauff responded by winning three consecutive games to take a commanding 5-2 lead. The American eventually secured the opening set 6-3.

However, Bencic turned the tables in the second set, breaking early and maintaining her lead to take it 6-3. The decisive set remained evenly contested, with both players holding serve until the crucial ninth game, where Gauff faltered on her serve. Bencic capitalized on her second break point opportunity and confidently closed out the match with a 6-4 win in the final set.

The Swiss star, currently ranked No. 58 in the WTA rankings, advances to the quarterfinals, where she will face either American Madison Keys or Croatia’s Donna Vekić.