LONDON :French Open champion Coco Gauff tumbled out of Wimbledon in the first round on Tuesday, the American’s serve deserting her as she was overpowered 7-6(3) 6-1 by fired-up Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska.
The second-seeded Gauff followed American compatriot and third seed Jessica Pegula out of the championships on a day of unexpected exits for top names.
Gauff looked out of sorts on Court One’s slick surface, slipping several times early in the match, played under the closed roof.
Yastremska took full advantage with a series of winners from the baseline before wrapping up the first set with a volley.
The Ukrainian, ranked 42 in the world, looked composed and confident, her searing backhand often fizzing past the stranded Gauff.
Gauff was clearly short of grasscourt practice while her opponent had reached the final of the Nottingham tournament as well as the quarter-finals at Eastbourne in the run-up to Wimbledon. The American served a total of nine double faults and made 29 unforced errors, shaking her head in disbelief as she lost her serve three times in the second set.
Yastremska, from Odessa, screamed in delight after producing an unreturnable groundstroke on match point to send her into the second round.
“I think it was a great match today, I was really on fire,” Yastremska, whose best previous Grand Slam performance was reaching the semi-finals at the 2024 Australian Open, said in a courtside interview.
“It was pretty unexpected but it has been a great season for me. I love playing on grass, I feel like this season we are friends.”
