Credited from: CHANNELNEWSASIA
Coco Gauff became just the third woman in the Open era to lose in the first round at Wimbledon right after winning the championship at the French Open, eliminated 7-6 (3), 6-1 by unseeded Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine on Tuesday night. The No. 2-ranked Gauff struggled significantly, finishing with only six winners and a total of 29 unforced errors, including nine double faults, according to HuffPost, Channel News Asia, Reuters, SFGate, Le Monde, and Al Jazeera.
Gauff's performance was described as unusually error-prone, as she struggled to adapt to the conditions on Court One, which contributed to her elimination. "Dayana started off playing strong," Gauff admitted. She faced a particularly challenging transition from clay to grass, which has historically been a difficult shift for many players, including herself, according to CBS News.
Yastremska took advantage of Gauff's struggles, producing a series of impressive winners and wrapping up the first set with commanding play. “I was really on fire,” said Yastremska, who noted her confidence boost from a recent final on grass, according to Le Monde and Al Jazeera.
This early exit for Gauff is particularly notable as it marks her second first-round exit at Wimbledon in three years, underlining a troubling trend for the player on grass courts where she has yet to progress beyond the fourth round, confirming her ongoing challenges at this major compared to her success on clay and hard surfaces, according to HuffPost, Channel News Asia, and SFGate.