Gauff Stunned in Wimbledon First Round, Admits Strategy Needs Fixing
Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon campaign ended in stunning fashion on Monday after a straight-sets defeat to Dayana Yastremska. The 21-year-old American, ranked world No. 2, lost 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 on Court One, marking her earliest Grand Slam exit in over a year.
Yastremska, ranked No. 42 and unseeded, capitalized on Gauff’s error-filled game to claim one of the tournament’s biggest upsets so far. Gauff committed nine double faults and 29 unforced errors, managing just six winners across both sets.
The loss comes less than a month after Gauff lifted her second Grand Slam trophy at the French Open.
“I really want to do well here,” Gauff said, holding back tears after the match. “But I definitely need to make changes if I want to be successful on grass.”
She acknowledged her preparation for Wimbledon may have been off. Since winning Roland Garros, Gauff played just one match a first-round loss to qualifier Wang Xinyu in Berlin.
“I maybe could have used more matches. It’s a tricky thing do you rest after Paris or go straight into grass?” Gauff said. “Next time I’ll probably approach it differently.”
Her early exit continues a pattern of struggles on grass. Wimbledon remains the only major where Gauff has never reached the quarterfinals.
Yastremska, who hit 21 winners, advances to the second round. The Ukrainian played a disciplined match and exploited Gauff’s second serve, converting key break points in the second set.
The day brought more shocks. Jessica Pegula, seeded third, lost 6-2, 6-3 to Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Court Two. Pegula, ranked 113 spots above her opponent, called the match her “worst result of the year.”
“I’ve been winning a lot lately. This just didn’t come together,” she said. The loss marks her earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2020 French Open.
Later in the day, Chinese fifth seed Zheng Qinwen also fell in three sets to Czech player Katerina Siniakova. The Olympic gold medalist lost 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, marking her third straight first-round Wimbledon defeat.
Top players who advanced on Tuesday included Iga Swiatek, who defeated Polina Kudermetova 7-5, 6-1, and 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, who dispatched Elina Avanesyan 6-2, 6-1. Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva also progressed with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Mayar Sherif.
Wimbledon continues through July 13 at the All England Club, where grass remains a puzzle for some of the game’s biggest stars. For Gauff, the message was clear: success at SW19 will require a fresh plan.
“I’m not writing myself off,” she said. “But I know I need to do things differently.”
