Coco Gauff slams racquet in frustration at match call area after shock loss to Elina Svitolina at Australian Open; watch

American Coco Gauff was caught slamming her tennis racquet in anger after her shock loss to Elina Svitolina in the women's quarterfinal of the ongoing Australian Open 2026 on Tuesday. Seeded third, Gauff endured a nightmare on serve as she lost to the Ukrainian by 1-6, 2-6 margin.

The win meant Svitolina kept hopes of her maiden Grand Slam alive as the 31-year-old marched into the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career. Previously, Svitolina reached Australian Open quarterfinals on three occasions.

Following her loss, Gauff was caught on camera returning to the changing room quietly before suddenly venting her frustration out at the match call area. As she was about to enter the changing room, Gauff started slamming her racquet in anger multiple times , taking one of the tournament officials by surprise.

Gauff's service

Gauff's service woes came to the fore early in the clash as she made five double faults and was broken four times, allowing the aggressive Svitolina to take full advantage and grab the opening set in double-quick time.

Desperate to arrest her slide, the American sent a bunch of rackets to be re-strung for cooler conditions under the roof on Rod Laver Arena after organisers earlier invoked their extreme heat policy on a scorching afternoon.

Svitolina raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set before Gauff was able to get on board with a couple of holds, but there was no stopping the Ukrainian, who eased to victory and set up a clash with top seed Aryna Sabalenka.