Coco Gauff loses argument with referee and match against Donna Vekic at the Olympic Games in Paris

PARIS (AP) — The scene seemed all too familiar to Coco Gauff. A referee’s decision she was certain was incorrect. A referee who would not listen. Tears streaming down her cheeks. And, most disappointing of all, defeat, this time at the Paris Olympics.

Even the venue was the same: Court Philippe Chatrier was where the reigning U.S. Open champion was eliminated in the third round of the Summer Games by Donna Vekic of Croatia 7-6 (7), 6-2 on Tuesday. It’s also the fundamental stadium used annually for the French Open, where Gauff found herself in a virtually an identical decision, losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals last month.

“It’s happened to me a lot this year — I felt like I always had to be my own advocate on the court,” Gauff said later, reiterating her call for video review for use in tennis, because it is in many other skilled sports.

“I figured he blew it before I hit it, and I don’t think the umpire disagreed with that,” she said. “I think he just felt it didn’t affect my swing, and I felt it did.”

Gauff, a 20-year-old American seeded No. 2 in singles at the Olympics, was already trailing by a major margin when the incident occurred with two games remaining.

She hit her serve, and Vekic’s return shot landed near the baseline. The linesman initially ruled Vekic’s shot out; Gauff didn’t keep the ball in play. Chair umpire Jaume Campistol ruled Vekic’s shot landed in the end zone and awarded her a degree, giving her a service time-out and a 4-2 lead.

Gauff went over to confer with the referee, which caused a several-minute delay in play.

“I never question those decisions. But he shouted it before I hit the ball,” Gauff told Campistol. “It’s not even perception; it’s principle.”

She easily won her first two singles matches, losing just five games in all. But her first singles tournament at the Olympics — she still plays in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles — ended with a performance that wasn’t her best on the hottest day of the Summer Games to this point, with temperatures topping 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).

“Those points are big things. Usually they apologize afterwards. It’s a little frustrating. ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t help when the game is over,” Gauff said. “I can’t say I would have won the game if I had won that point.”

Even before the umpire’s upset, Gauff struggled to get off to a superb start against Vekic, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals earlier this month.

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The American was leading 4-1 and inside a degree of taking a 5-1 lead and serving for the first set. But she couldn’t finish the hand and then wasted several set points at 6-4 in the ensuing tiebreak. Vekic stormed to the end of that set and then maintained her level in the second.

One piece of evidence of Vekic’s superiority this afternoon is the indisputable fact that she has 33 wins to Gauff’s only nine.

“I’m not going to sit here and say one point affected the outcome today,” Gauff admitted, “because I was on the losing side anyway.”

But the most memorable moment of the match was that second-set altercation. Gauff even mentioned Swiatek’s loss to Campistol and a supervisor who joined the conversation on court Tuesday.

“It always happens to me at the French Open. Every time,” Gauff said, holding a tennis ball in one hand and a racket in the other as she pleaded her case. “This is the fourth, fifth time this year.”

Vekic didn’t interfere, she stayed on her end of the court and played with the strings.

When Gauff gave up and returned to the pitch to proceed play, the fans loudly booed — expressing anger directed at the referee.

The first point in the next game went to Gauff, and the spectators gave her thunderous applause.

However, after about 10 minutes the match ended.

Gauff was set to return to the court with U.S. teammate Taylor Fritz for a first-round mixed doubles match Tuesday. She can be competing in the women’s doubles with Jessica Pegula at these Olympics.

Over the weekend, Gauff spoke of her intention to walk away with three medals—one in each event—in Paris. That won’t occur now.

“I want,” Gauff said Tuesday, “to come home with something.”