French Open champ Coco Gauff suffers stunning first-round defeat as Wimbledon shocks continue

Irish Independent

18 hours ago

Twenty-four days since lifting the title at Roland Garros, the stunned American second seed was beaten 7-6 (3) 6-1 in a major upset.
The resounding loss was the 21-year-old's second round-one exit in three years in SW19 following defeat to compatriot Sofia Kenin at this stage in 2023.
While dejected world number two Gauff delivered nine double faults and only six winners compared with 29 unforced errors in an erratic display, Nottingham Open runner-up Yastremska produced the performance of her career.
'It was a great match – I was really on fire,' the 25-year-old said on court following her maiden victory over Gauff at the fourth attempt
'Playing against Coco it is something special. She's a great player and a great person. I enjoyed a lot and these courts are made for the greatest players so I'm very grateful to be on this court.
'My preparation before the grass season didn't go very well – I got sick at Roland Garros and I only trained two days on grass. 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!
'I hope the road will continue, and it is a pleasure being here.'
Earlier, world number three Jessica Pegula struggled to explain her shock exit as she praised the 'insane' performance of opponent Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Last year's US Open runner-up was beaten 6-2 6-3 in just 58 minutes as Italian world number 116 Cocciaretto celebrated the greatest win of her career.
Asked what went wrong, the 31-year-old American, who lost in the first round of a grand slam for the first time since the 2020 French Open, replied: 'I don't know. She played absolutely incredible tennis.
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'Do I think I played the best match ever? No. But I definitely don't think I was playing bad.
'It's really a bummer to lose. I haven't lost first round of a slam in a very long time, so that sucks.
'I'm upset that I wasn't able to turn anything around. But at the same time, I do feel like she played kind of insane. Hats off to her. Kudos to her for playing at a high level that I couldn't match it today.'
Cocciaretto, who had only once before defeated a top-10 player, spectacularly turned the tables on Pegula, having suffered a 6-4 6-0 round-three loss to her in SW19 in 2023.
Barbora Krejcikova avoided being added to the short list of reigning champions to suffer first-round eliminations by battling back to beat Eastbourne Open runner-up Alexandra Eala in three sets.
The 29-year-old Czech was in danger of joining compatriot Marketa Vondrousova and 22-time grand slam winner Steffi Graf in the history books.
But, having come into the championship nursing a thigh issue after struggling for form and fitness all year, she dug in to progress 3-6 6-2 6-1 against 20-year-old Filipino Eala on Centre Court.
'Six months ago, I was in a lot of pain with my back and I didn't really know how my career is going to go,' Krejcikova said in her on-court interview.
'I'm super happy and super excited that I can be here and that I can play on such a great court.'
Two-time champion Petra Kvitova bid farewell to Wimbledon following a 6-3 6-1 loss to 10th seed Emma Navarro.
The 35-year-old wild card, who returned to the tour in February following the birth of son Petr last summer, intends to retire after this year's US Open.
Kvitova was a surprise winner of a maiden grand slam title at the All England Club in 2011 thanks to victory over Maria Sharapova before beating Eugenie Bouchard in the 2014 final.
Speaking on court, she said: 'Thank you for the atmosphere, it was wonderful to play on this beautiful court. Congrats Emma. I wish we could have played for a bit longer. I never dreamed of winning Wimbledon and I did it twice so this is something very special.
'I will miss Wimbledon, I will miss tennis, I will miss you fans but I am ready for the next chapter of life as well. I can't wait to be back as a member.'
Five-time major winner Iga Swiatek overcame Polina Kudermetova 7-5 6-1, while 18-year-old seventh seed Mirra Andreeva beat Mayar Sherif 6-3 6-3.
But fifth seed Zheng Qinwen was knocked out by Czech world number 81 Katerina Siniakova in three sets.
Queen's champion Tatjana Maria, who reached the semi-finals in 2022, lost in three sets to American Katie Volynets while Eastbourne winner Maya Joint was beaten by Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova.