There was a major shock on day one of Wimbledon yesterday as fifteen-year-old Cori 'Coco' Gauff knocked five-time champion Venus Williams out in straight sets to reach the second round of the prestigious Championships.
American Cori Gauff was the second youngest person ever to win the Junior Roland Garros last year and qualified for the London tournament as a wildcard.
The Florida native said before the encounter it was her “dream” to face one of the Williams sisters and the qualifier surpassed all expectations in overcoming a 24-year-age gap to stun her fellow countrywoman 6-4 6-4 in 79 minutes.
The teenager, who is the youngest woman to qualify for the tournament in the Open era, dazzled with a display of immense maturity and self-belief that belied her 15 years of age.
“Honestly I don’t know how to feel,” Gauff said afterwards. ”It’s the first time I have ever cried after winning a match, I don’t know how to explain how I feel.
“I definitely had to tell myself to stay calm, I had to remind myself that the lines are the same lines, the courts are the same size and after every point I told myself ‘stay calm’.”
