The match started evenly, with both holding serve to 1-1 in the opener. But Gauff faltered in her second service game, fending off one break point before Linette pounced on the next, snagging a 2-1 edge. Linette locked it down at 3-1, and neither wavered from there, sealing the set 6-4. Gauff couldn’t muster a single break chance.
The second set hinted at a Gauff rally—she held, then broke Linette for a 2-0 lead. Yet Linette struck back instantly, sparking a seesaw battle. Breaks swapped hands, leveling it at 4-4. In the ninth game, Gauff led 30-15 but crumbled; Linette snatched a break point and cashed it in, serving out the set 6-4 to clinch the match.
Linette advances to the quarter-finals against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who outlasted Naomi Osaka in three sets earlier Monday. For Gauff, the loss marks another stumble in a season where her once-reliable serve continues to unravel.
