“Mad weird” – Coco Gauff furious after imposter’s ‘It hurts’ message on US Open heartbreak goes viral
Coco Gauff was left frustrated after someone impersonated her on social media in the wake of her crushing loss at the US Open 2026. Gauff won the Cincinnati Open in the lead-up to the season’s final Major, and was one of the top picks to go all the way in New York.
Gauff started off strong and made the last four for the first time since she won the US Open title in 2023. She ran into eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the semifinals and lost to her 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday, September 10. This marked her second such loss to Rybakina in less than a month. She previously lost to the Kazakh from a set up at last month’s Canadian Open as well.
Immediately after the loss, a fake account with the handle @CocoGauff448 on X (formerly Twitter), posted about being disappointed with the loss. The message was widely shared on the platform. Players do acknowledge their results after the end of their run at a big event on social media. For those who aren’t constantly online, they wouldn’t have assumed anything wrong with the post by the imposter.
“Give it my all. New York, thank you. It hurts but I’ll be back,” posted the account masquerading as Gauff.
Gauff came across the post on Sunday (September 13) evening, and immediately set the record straight. She replied to the post about her loss and labeled the other account as fake, and told them to stop impersonating her. For those who are unaware, Gauff’s legitimate handle on X is @CocoGauff, with a blue check mark.
“Fake account. Stop pretending to be me. Mad weird,” Gauff posted on X.
Gauff had multiple reasons to be upset about her loss to Rybakina. She not only missed a shot at the title, but also an opportunity to become the World No. 1 later in the season. While she still has a shot at the top spot, she will have to go on a tear to attain the No. 1 ranking.
