Coco Gauff admitted she was “very frustrated” with herself as she was beaten by Sofia Kenin to fall to a shock first-round exit at Wimbledon.
The 19-year-old reached the semi-finals at Eastbourne a week ago but could not bring that form to SW19, Kenin battling to a 6-4 4-6 6-2 victory on Court 1 for what was the biggest upset on the opening day of the tournament.
As first-round assignments go, this was not a particularly generous one for Gauff. Kenin came through qualifying and is ranked 128th in the world, but it is just three years since the American won the Australian Open and reached the final at Roland Garros a few months later.
Kenin has though never made it beyond the second round at Wimbledon, something Gauff ticked off as a 15-year-old in 2019, and this was her first main-draw Grand Slam win for two years.
Gauff was left to reflect on a volatile display, one that included 33 winners but the same number of unforced errors, as she crashed out of Wimbledon at the first-round stage for the first time.
“I think I didn’t really put too much pressure on her,” Gauff said.
“I felt like she could make a ball on the court, didn’t have to be as good, and I wouldn’t do much with it. That’s what happened. If I played too passive, she has a game where she can hit aggressive shots, especially off the backhand side.”
On how she will respond to the first-round exit, she added: “Right now I’m very frustrated and disappointed.
“So, yeah, I think it makes me want to work even harder. I feel like I have been working hard, but clearly it’s not enough. I have to go back to the drawing board and see where I need to improve.”
