Coco Gauff faces US Open semifinal loss and social media impersonation

Coco Gauff faced a challenging conclusion to her 2026 US Open campaign, losing in the semifinals to Elena Rybakina with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. The loss prevented Gauff from securing a chance to reach the World No. 1 ranking later this season.

During the tournament, Gauff continued to struggle with a recurring issue regarding double faults. She recorded 34 double faults during the US Open, the second-highest total in the tournament. This performance keeps her on track for her third consecutive season leading the WTA in double faults, with 295 recorded so far in 2026.

Following her defeat, Gauff also addressed social media issues after an imposter account using the handle @CocoGauff448 posted a message claiming, “It hurts but I'll be back.” Gauff publicly identified the account as fake, describing the impersonation as “mad weird.”