WIMBLEDON, England — American tennis star Coco Gauff experienced an unexpected defeat in the first round at Wimbledon this Tuesday. This marks her quickest departure from a Grand Slam event since her initial match loss here two years prior. The recent French Open champion struggled throughout her match against Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, ranked world No. 42, ultimately falling 7-6 (3), 6-1. A notable issue was Gauff`s nine double faults during the match.
Let`s delve into the key factors that contributed to this early exit:
Gauff`s serve faltered significantly
While Gauff`s serve has historically shown vulnerability, she typically finds ways to manage difficulties. However, on Tuesday, even with the roof closed removing any weather interference, she couldn`t find her rhythm. Her second serve was particularly problematic, amplifying pressure as Yastremska positioned herself close to the baseline. Gauff committed nine double faults in total and won a mere 44% of points on her second serve. Landing only 45% of her first serves left her vulnerable, a situation Yastremska effectively capitalized on.
Mental fatigue seemed apparent
Winning the French Open the previous month clearly demanded a considerable physical and mental toll on Gauff. Her journey through the Paris draw was arduous, and the final against Aryna Sabalenka was particularly taxing due to challenging windy conditions. Ideally, celebrating a Grand Slam victory is followed by a period of rest, but Gauff had limited time to recover before the grass-court season and Wimbledon. Her only warmup match in Berlin, a loss, hinted at struggles against hard hitters. Her low winner count in that match suggested a lack of the usual competitive fight.
Speaking after her Wimbledon loss, Gauff acknowledged the challenge: “I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards, so I didn`t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it… But it`s the first time in this experience of coming off a win and having to play Wimbledon. I definitely learned a lot of what I would and would not do again.”
Yastremska proved to be a formidable first-round opponent
Ranked No. 42, Dayana Yastremska was a challenging draw for a first round, being just outside the seeded players. The Ukrainian has shown strong form on grass recently, reaching the final in Nottingham and the quarterfinals in Eastbourne. While her best Wimbledon performance prior was a round-of-16 appearance in 2019, she`s a high-quality player with a Grand Slam semifinal appearance (Australian Open) to her name.
Despite hitting 25 unforced errors, Yastremska struck 16 winners and felt confident, stating, “I think it was a great match today, I was really on fire… I hope the road will continue, and it is a pleasure to be here.” Gauff agreed with the assessment of her opponent`s strength, recalling their tough three-set match on clay earlier in the year and recognizing that the grass surface likely suited Yastremska better.
Marcus Bellamy