On Tuesday, the 15-year-old lost 4-6 2-6 against the Kazakhstani, who is ranked number 84 in the world.
Gauff, who emerged as tennis’s new sensation when she became the youngest woman to reach the second week at Wimbledon since Jennifer Capriati did it in 1991, qualified for the main draw at the Citi Open after dispatching Hiroko Kuwata 6-1, 6-2 in the qualifiers.
However, she had no answer for Diyas, who overcame a slow start to impose her game on Gauff.
The American twice relinquished a break advantage to her opponent and had to save three set points on her serve while 5-4 down. Having twice squandered the chance to level the opening set to 5-5, Gauff surrendered the first set 6-4.
In the second set, the 15-year-old led 40-15 while down 2-3, but lost her serve as Diyas took the game and closed the set out 6-2.
Despite the loss, Gauff insisted she would take positives from her third WTA event.
“Every loss is something I learn from,” she was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse. “Overall it was a good experience.
“I’m looking forward to the US Open and hope I can make a good result there. I’m going to work on being more aggressive and trusting myself a little more on the court.”
Following her exploits at Wimbledon, Gauff has her sights set to the U.S. Open, which begins on August 26 at Flushing Meadows, in New York City.
So what has changed for the 15-year-old since her incredible run at Wimbledon, and what can we expect from her career next?
Coco Gauff’s earnings
According to Forbes, up until reaching Wimbledon, the teenager had earned $61,101 on court this season, a relatively paltry sum by tennis’s standards.
Her run to the fourth round at the All England Club was worth a total of $233,500.
The sum included the prize money for her singles tournament as well as her appearance fee for the mixed doubles, which saw Gauff and Britain’s Jay Clarke lose in straight sets in the first round against Sweden’s Robert Lindstedt and Latvia’s Jeļena Ostapenko.
At the Citi Open, Gauff won $2,220 for reaching the round of 32, taking her career earnings just over $305,000.
While her professional career is in its infancy, Gauff has already signed lucrative sponsorship deals with footwear giant New Balance and racket manufacturer Head. Additionally, she is also sponsored by Italian pasta maker Barilla.
According to Forbes, the three endorsements alone will see her pocket at least $1 million this year.
Coco Gauff’s rankings
Ranked 313th in the world before Wimbledon, Gauff climbed to 143rd after her run at the All England Club.
Despite losing in the second round in Washington, WTA Live Rankings projects the teenager will reach position number 138 by the time the next world rankings are announced at the end of the week.
If the forecast comes to pass, the ranking would represent a new career-high for the American and would put her in good stead to secure automatic qualification for the U.S. Open.
Like the other three Grand Slam tournaments, the first 104 players in the world rankings the week before the beginning of the U.S. Open take up most of the 128 spots in the draw.
The remaining 14 spots are reserved for players who qualify for the tournament and those who receive a “wild card.”
Gauff was knocked out in the first round of qualifying for the 2018 edition of the tournament but could receive a wild card this season, owing to her meteoric rise.
