Wimbledon, another twist: Coco Gauff eliminated on debut

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The Wimbledon tournament delivers yet another twist: Coco Gauff, the number 2 seed and fresh champion of Roland Garros, was eliminated in the second round by a stunning Dayana Yastremska. The Ukrainian, currently number 42 in the WTA rankings, dominated the match with authority and lucidity, imposing herself with a score of 7-6(3), 6-1 and displaying explosive tennis perfectly adapted to the grass courts of Church Road.

For Gauff, however, a day to forget. The young U.S. player immediately appeared nervous and unsure, with a serve that was never effective and heavily affected by as many as 9 double faults. The mental solidity, which only a few weeks ago had led her to triumph in Paris, completely vanished in the key moments of the match.

The first set proved to be particularly hard-fought. Yastremska got an important break at 4-2, but as she came to serve for the partial set, she suffered a heavy lift, giving Gauff the immediate comeback. The U.S. player had a chance to turn the momentum of the match around, but in the tie-break she committed heavy errors, including two double faults that paved the way for the Ukrainian’s 7-6(3) victory.

The second set was a monologue of Yastremska. Gauff continued to make mistakes with disarming frequency, unable to find solutions to her opponent’s pressing. In just over 90 minutes, Yastremska closed the file with a peremptory 6-1. The Ukrainian in the second round will now face Anastasija Zacharova, who beat Azarenka in her debut match.

The world number two on court appeared unloaded, very nervous and definitely far from the level that allowed her to win Roland Garros only a few weeks ago against Sabalenka.

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