WIMBLEDON, England — Coco Gauff turned simply the third lady within the Open period to lose within the first spherical at Wimbledon proper after profitable the championship on the French Open, eradicated 7-6 (3), 6-1 by unseeded Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine on Tuesday night time.
The No. 2-ranked Gauff made mistake after mistake at No. 1 Courtroom, ending with simply six winners and a complete of 29 unforced errors that included 9 double-faults.
“Dayana began off taking part in sturdy,” Gauff mentioned. “I could not discover my footing on the market at present.”
Gauff joined one other extremely seeded American, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, in bowing out on Day 2 of the event. It marked the primary ladies’s main within the Open Period during which two of the highest three seeds misplaced their opening matches, in response to ESPN Analysis.
It was just a bit greater than three weeks in the past that Gauff was celebrating her second Grand Slam title by getting previous No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on the ultimate on the crimson clay of Roland-Garros.
The fast turnaround might need been a problem, Gauff acknowledged.
“I really feel like mentally I used to be a bit of bit overwhelmed with all the pieces that got here afterwards,” the 21-year-old Gauff mentioned, “so I did not really feel like I had sufficient time to have a good time and likewise get again into it.”
She did not suppose it mattered Tuesday that their match location was shifted from Centre Courtroom to No. 1 Courtroom or that she was advised a couple of new begin time solely about an hour earlier than the competition started.
Though Gauff’s huge breakthrough got here on the All England Membership at age 15 in 2019, when she beat Venus Williams in her opening match and made all of it the best way to the fourth spherical, the grass-court event has proved to be her least-successful main.
It is the one Slam during which Gauff hasn’t made a minimum of the semifinals.
Certainly, she has but to get previous the fourth spherical and now has been despatched house within the first spherical twice up to now three years.
The transition from clay to grass has confirmed powerful for many gamers, and the final lady to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the identical season was Serena Williams a decade in the past.
Nonetheless, because the Open period started in 1968, solely Justine Henin in 2005 and Francesca Schiavone in 2010 went from holding the trophy in Paris to exiting instantly in London.
Gauff was by no means fairly at her greatest Tuesday towards Yastremska, who had misplaced all three of their earlier matchups and is ranked forty second.
A specific drawback for Gauff, because it usually is, was her serving. She managed to place solely 45% of her first serves in play, received 14 of her 32 second-serve factors and had all of these double-faults, together with a pair within the tiebreaker and one other when she bought damaged to open the second set.
“Once I can serve nicely, and a few video games I did, it is undoubtedly an added menace,” Gauff mentioned. “I did not serve that nicely.”
Yastremska’s greatest Grand Slam end result was making all of it the best way to the semifinals on the Australian Open’s exhausting courts final yr, though she entered this occasion with a file of solely 10-11 in first-round matches at majors.
Gauff, in contrast, was 20-3 at that stage, together with a loss to Sofia Kenin at Wimbledon in 2023.
Yastremska’s deepest run at Wimbledon was making the fourth spherical in 2019, though she did get to the ultimate of the junior occasion in 2016.
“I used to be actually on fireplace,” mentioned Yastremska, who amassed 16 winners. “Taking part in towards Coco, it’s one thing particular.”
She lately reached her first event ultimate on grass, at a smaller occasion in Nottingham, which she mentioned gave her confidence heading to the All England Membership.
“I like taking part in on grass. I really feel that this yr we’re form of mates,” Yastremska mentioned with fun. “I hope the highway will proceed for me right here.”
Data from The Related Press was used on this report.