Cristina Bucsa fought hard against Coco Gauff but couldn't keep Spain in the US Open. With her loss, no Spanish women remain in the tournament. Gauff moves on after a tense match on Arthur Ashe.
Spanish women’s tennis is out of the US Open after Cristina Bucsa lost to Coco Gauff, the world number 4 and defending champion in New York. Bucsa, the last Spanish woman left in the draw, couldn’t match Gauff’s power and consistency. The match kept the Arthur Ashe crowd tense, but Spain leaves empty-handed.
Gauff came into the tournament as one of the favorites, having just won the Cincinnati Masters and with 15 straight sets behind her. Bucsa, though, started strong. She broke Gauff’s serve in the first set, taking advantage of some early nerves and forcing Gauff to chase the match. Bucsa’s aggressive play unsettled Gauff, who struggled with her first serve and made several unforced errors.
The third-round match between Gauff and Bucsa lasted approximately 1 hour and 26 minutes, according to live sources.
Bucsa couldn’t hold onto her early lead. Gauff’s athleticism and tactical adjustments helped her recover the break and take the first set 6-3. The second set was closer. Bucsa, coming off a tough three-hour match against Himeno Sakatsume in the previous round, kept up the pressure and stayed level with Gauff until 3-3. But fatigue set in, and Gauff, despite some shaky moments, broke back and pulled away as Bucsa’s energy faded.
With Bucsa’s loss, all five Spanish women who started the tournament have been eliminated before the second week. The draw was tough: both Paula Badosa and Bucsa had to face Gauff early, and neither could get past her. Gauff’s rise since her 2023 US Open win at age 19 has been rapid, drawing comparisons to the shift from Serena Williams to a new American star. She added a Roland Garros title in 2025 and has made regular deep runs at Grand Slams, but New York is still where she has the most to prove after last year’s early exit.
This was the second career meeting between Gauff and Bucsa; their first encounter took place at Indian Wells 2023, where Gauff also won in straight sets (6-2, 6-4). According to Reuters, Gauff entered the US Open as the fourth seed and had already defeated Paula Badosa in two sets before facing Bucsa in the third round.
Now, Spanish tennis turns its attention to Carlos Alcaraz, who returns to Arthur Ashe after more than four months away to play Tommy Paul in the men’s draw. The women’s early exit shows how quickly a tough draw and a single dominant opponent can end months of preparation. As reported earlier, elite sport is unpredictable and even the best plans can fall apart fast.
Spain’s women have shown flashes of top-level play, but this group has run into a wall with Gauff and the demands of the tour. Bucsa’s effort on the big stage deserves credit, but the result is a reminder that depth and luck in the draw matter as much as individual talent. Until someone breaks through, Spanish hopes in women’s tennis will stay in the shadow of rivals who take their chances when it counts.
