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 seven times.

The 21-year-old American tried to find a place where there was no place for cameras and went to the most quiet area she could find, taking one of the tournament officials by surprise.

Upset by her loss, Gauff's frustration also came from her service woes. She made five double faults and was broken four times, thus allowing Svitolina to take the upper hand and take the opening set in quick time. The Ukrainian raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set before Gauff was able to get on board. But there was no stopping Svitolina.

Who will Elina Svitolina face in semis?

Svitolina will next face world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who had defeated 18-year-old Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0 to reach the semifinals. Svitolina will also return to the top 10 in the latest WTA rankings which will be realeased next Monday. It is a reward for her consistency after giving birth to her daughter with fellow tennis player Gael Monfils in late 2022.

"I'm very pleased with the tournament so far, it has always been my dream to come back here after maternity leave. It was my dream to come back into the top 10," Svitolina said after the game.

"Unfortunately it didn't happen last year, I stopped after September and then when we were training and during off-season I told my coach 'I want to come back into top 10' so this was my goal for this year," she added.