"I let myself get distracted by too many things," Gracheva laments after quarterfinal defeat in Cincinnati
After a strong run starting in the qualifiers, Varvara Gracheva saw her Cincinnati journey end in the quarterfinals. The French player, who nonetheless secured a return to the top 100 after the tournament, suffered a heavy defeat against Veronika Kudermetova (6-1, 6-2), marking her third loss in as many meetings against the Russian.
With the US Open on the horizon, Gracheva spoke at a press conference following her elimination and analyzed what she believed went wrong in the match.
"I was feeling good, actually. But it was more of a mental issue. We had prepared well for the match, but I couldn’t execute the plan properly. My performance just wasn’t there.
I couldn’t stay focused enough. I let myself get distracted by too many things. I’m clearly not used to this level of competition yet. But with a new coach, Caleb Simms, joining me mid-tournament, it’s normal that we haven’t had enough time to work together.
After that, I played poorly, and she played extremely well—that explains the score. I kept thinking she would double-fault at some point, but she didn’t. She gave me no chances. She was really motivated. Anyway, it’s nothing serious," the 25-year-old player told *L'Équipe*.
Cincinnati 
