World No 5 Coco Gauff suffered a shocking straight-sets defeat to Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round of the Qatar Open. The reigning French Open champion lost 6-4, 6-2 to the world No 57 Italian in just over 90 minutes, marking her earliest exit in Doha since 2021.

The upset came after Gauff endured an exhausting doubles match the previous day, partnering with Victoria Mboko in a 5-7, 6-7 loss. Her fatigue appeared to impact her singles performance as Cocciaretto broke her serve three times in the second set. The Italian entered as a lucky loser and secured her first career victory against Gauff in four attempts.

This early exit adds to Gauff's recent struggles on hard courts following her dominant clay court season. She'll look to bounce back quickly at next week's Dubai Tennis Championships, where she'll aim to regain momentum before the Sunshine Double swing begins.