London (AFP) – Coco Gauff pledged to do things differently next time after crashing out of Wimbledon in the first round on Tuesday, just weeks after winning the French Open. The US second seed was beaten 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 by Ukranian world number 42 Dayana Yastremska.
Gauff, who has won two majors, was expected to make a strong run at the All England Club after her triumph at Roland Garros in June. But instead of building on her success on the Paris clay, the 21-year-old endured her earliest Grand Slam exit since another first-round loss at Wimbledon in 2023. Yastremska powered to victory in 78 minutes, with Gauff joining third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen as high-profile departures from the tournament on a day of shocks.
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“I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards (following the French Open triumph), so I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it,” said Gauff. “But it’s the first time in this experience of, like, coming off a win and having to play Wimbledon. I definitely learned a lot of what I would and would not do again.”
When pressed on what steps she might take in future, she said she felt she would consider more grass-court tennis in the run-up to Wimbledon. “I just feel like the surface I maybe could have used more matches,” she said. “It’s like finding the puzzle. I don’t like to play the week before. It’s a quick turnaround, so I think just trying to learn on whether it’s better to train more and maybe play Bad Homburg or Eastbourne (both grass-court tournaments).
“I think when that time comes around again, if it comes around again, I’ll approach it differently. I don’t think it was all that either. I mean, Dayana played great. I felt like I wasn’t playing terrible in some points, and she was hitting winners.”
Gauff has failed to get past the fourth round in each of her six visits to Wimbledon. She paid the price for an unusually error-strewn display featuring nine double-faults, 29 unforced errors, and just six winners.
Yastremska has previously claimed she has an allergy to grass, but the 25-year-old’s shock success against Gauff extended an impressive recent run on the surface. Known as one of the more glamourous players on the women’s tour for her high-profile Instagram modelling, Yastremska made the Nottingham final and the Eastbourne quarter-finals in June.
“It was a great match today. I was really on fire, even my nails have fire on them,” Yastremska said. “Playing Coco is special. These courts are made for the greatest players so I’m very grateful to play here. It’s really unexpected. I love playing on grass. I feel this year we are kind of friends. I hope the road can continue for me.”
© 2024 AFP
