WIMBLEDON, England — Coco Gauff suffered a shock defeat within the first spherical at Wimbledon on Tuesday, her earliest exit at a Grand Slam since shedding in spherical one at Wimbledon two years in the past. The champion at Roland Garros final month, the American hit 9 double faults and struggled all through as she misplaced 7-6 (3), 6-1 to Dayana Yastremska, the world No. 42, from Ukraine.
This is what went incorrect.
Gauff’s serve broke down
Gauff’s serve has all the time been weak however normally, she’s capable of finding a approach by and discover a technique to take care of issues once they break down. On Tuesday, regardless that the roof was closed, which took away any concern with the weather, Gauff struggled for rhythm.
The second serve, particularly, broke down and for as soon as, it weighed too closely on her shoulders. With Yastremska standing tight to the baseline, the strain was ramped up. In complete, Gauff hit 9 double faults and received simply 44 % of factors on her second serve. Touchdown simply 45% of her first serves left her weak, and Yastremska took full benefit.
Gauff appeared mentally drained
Successful the French Open final month clearly took so much out of Gauff. The American needed to work enormously laborious to get by the attract Paris, and the ultimate was particularly arduous, when the wind made life robust for each her and Aryna Sabalenka.
Ideally after profitable a Grand Slam title, a break can be the appropriate factor to do, however Gauff had little time to get better, mentally. She misplaced her solely warm-up match in Berlin — towards an opponent who hit flat and laborious, she discovered herself wanting. The truth that she solely hit six winners tells its personal story. The battle wasn’t there.
“I really feel like mentally I used to be just a little bit overwhelmed with every part that got here afterwards, so I did not really feel like I had sufficient time to have a good time and in addition get again into it,” Gauff stated on Tuesday after the match. “Nevertheless it’s the primary time on this expertise of coming off a win and having to play Wimbledon. I undoubtedly realized plenty of what I might and wouldn’t do once more.”
Yastremska is about as robust an opponent as Gauff might have confronted
Ranked No. 42, Yastremska was not far off a seeded spot. The Ukrainian reached the ultimate in Nottingham and made the quarters in Eastbourne. Although her greatest effort at Wimbledon prior to now was a last-16 displaying in 2019, she is a high quality participant who made the semifinals in Australia a few years in the past.
Regardless of 25 unforced errors, she slammed 16 winners, “I believe it was an amazing match in the present day, I used to be actually on fireplace,” she stated. “I hope the street will proceed, and it’s a pleasure to be right here.”
Gauff agreed. “She performed nice. I noticed the draw and knew it might be a tricky match for me. I performed her on clay [in April], and I believe that floor fits me just a little higher. It was nonetheless a tricky three-setter [then]. Yeah, I knew in the present day can be robust.”