Just weeks after lifting the French Open trophy and entering Wimbledon as the No. 2 seed, Coco Gauff‘s grass-court journey came to an abrupt and jarring halt on Monday evening.
In a result that has sent shockwaves through the tennis world, the 20-year-old American fell 7-6(3), 6-1 to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in the opening round – her earliest Grand Slam exit in nearly two years.
While Gauff has enjoyed a meteoric rise since bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon in 2019, her struggles on grass remain unresolved.
Monday’s loss was a stark reminder of her difficulties adapting to the surface’s nuances – poor timing, errant footwork, and a rash of unforced errors contributed to a flat and lifeless performance.
Despite entering the match as the heavy favorite, Gauff was undone by a litany of mistakes, including nine double faults and 29 unforced errors.
At times, her rhythm completely deserted her, particularly in the second set, when she repeatedly dumped forehands into the net and failed to produce a single clean winner off the ground.
Yastremska rises from the shadows with career-best performance
While Gauff‘s defeat will dominate headlines, Dayana Yastremska‘s commanding performance deserves equal billing.
The 24-year-old Ukrainian, ranked No. 42 in the world, had never previously advanced past the first round at Wimbledon – a tournament she openly admitted to struggling with due to her self-described “grass allergy.” But on this day, she looked anything but uncomfortable on the surface.
Yastremska entered the match with newfound confidence, having reached the final in Nottingham earlier this month and showing marked improvement on grass. That momentum translated into poise and precision on Court No. 1, where she dictated play with aggressive backhands and impressive court coverage.
Her ability to capitalize on Gauff‘s errors was matched by her own sharp shot-making, particularly during the first-set tiebreak, where she dominated the American to seize control.
After breaking Gauff to open the second set, Yastremska never looked back – sprinting to a 5-1 lead and sealing the win in just under 90 minutes.
This victory marks only the fifth time Yastremska has defeated a top-10 player in her career, and perhaps the most significant. It’s a triumph that not only advances her to the second round, but also begins to reframe a career that has been as controversial as it is compelling.
Off the court, Yastremska has drawn attention for a number of reasons – including a past doping suspension (later ruled as accidental contamination) and a controversial social media post during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
But at Wimbledon, all that faded into the background as she delivered a clinical dismantling of one of the sport’s rising stars.
For Gauff, it’s a bitter pill – a harsh reminder that success on clay doesn’t easily translate to grass. For Yastremska, it’s a moment of redemption and perhaps the start of an unlikely run at the All-England Club.
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