AO 2026 | WATCH: Gauff smashes racquet to bits in unhinged reaction after QF loss and says Svitolina 'forced me to play like that'

Coco Gauff, in the biggest upset of Australian Open 2026, crashed out of the tournament after straight sets loss on Tuesday (Jan 27) at Rod Laver Arena vs Elina Svitolina. Gauff, a two-time grand slam champion, did not handle the loss very well and was seen smashing her racquet to the bits in the match call area. The reaction says all about how bad the loss must have stung Gauff, a favourite to win the tournament but alas, not anymore. Moreover, the loss came in just 59 minutes, making it even bitter for the 2025 French Open champion.

WATCH | Gauff smashes racquet after loss in unhinged reaction

“I did everything wrong, I have no answers. Elina played an excellent match and I never managed to reach her level. I was making errors on my forehand, backhand, return… Nothing worked for me today," Gauff said after the loss. Her 'racquet smashing' also showed the level of frustration she felt. Have a look at the moment below:

‘Just a lot that didn’t go well today. I credit it to her because she forced me to play like that. It's not like I woke and yeah today was a bad day but bad days are often caused by your opponents. So she did well," Gauff said about Svitolina.

"I need to learn to win matches even when I’m playing badly. And my serve can help me in those moments," she acknowledged for the future.

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Svitolina makes first major semis since 2023

Ukranian Elina Svitolina, juxtaposed to Gauff, had a dream result. Win win over Gauff, Svitolina entered her fourth major semis and first after 2023. This is also the first time Svitolina has entered the last four in Australian Open. Before this, she was in semis of Wimbledon (2019 & 2023) and US Open (2019). The 31-year-old, who returned from maternity leave in 2023, seems to have hit the peak form at the most opportune time with Aryna Sabalenka waiting for her in the women's single semis.

Svitonlina also entered top 10 in WTA rankings after beating Gauff, a self-set dream for her post becoming a mother. "I’m very pleased with the tournament so far, and it’s always been my dream to come back after maternity leave back into the top 10. It’s always been my goal," she said after the match.