After her upset in Doha last week, U.S. No.3 seed Gauff also had a bad run at the 2025 Dubai Women's Open this week, where she was eliminated 4-6, 5-7 by compatriot Kessler, and suffered two straight defeats in the WTA 1000-point Middle East tournament.

American Gauff

A graduate of the University of Florida, Kessler won the biggest victory of his career so far in his second full season after turning professional, and with the sharpness of knocking out Doha new champion and compatriot rival Anisimova in the first round, Kessler continued to work hard in the second round, defeating former US Open champion Gauff in just 1 hour and 29 minutes, closing his first victory against the Top 10, and advancing to the third round of the 1000-point tournament for the first time, where the next opponent is the Czech 14th seed Mukhova.

Kesler

As for the 20-year-old Gauff who fell into a slump, the Qatari capital was frustrated in the second round for the second consecutive year, and now he was hit by an early arrow in the United Arab Emirates, and it is difficult to find a victory in the Middle East.