GUTS AND GLORY FOR GAUFF
WIMBLEDON, England — It was easy to forget that Coco Gauff is still only 15 as she stood on the grass of Centre Court, pounding her chest and shouting, ‘‘Let’s go! Come on!’’ to celebrate a 32-stroke point that forced a third set in her match Friday at Wimbledon.
Up in the stands, her mom rose to pump a fist and yell, ‘‘Yes!’’ Thousands of spectators jumped out of their seats, too, roaring. By then, Gauff twice had been a point from losing in the third round to Polona Hercog.
Most players, no matter the age, would not be able to find a path past that kind of a deficit on this imposing a stage, would not be able to handle that sort of stress and figure out a way. Quite clearly, Gauff is not most players. How far can she go, both this fortnight and in the future? The tennis world is watching, waiting to learn the answers.
That Gauff, ranked 313th and facing another unseeded player, was scheduled to appear on Wimbledon’s main court says plenty about what a sensation she already is. That she won this one and how she did so — erasing two match points and coming back to beat Hercog 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-5 — offer some insight into what Gauff might become.
‘‘Obviously, this moment is an incredible moment,’’ Gauff said. ‘‘I’m still excited I get to keep living it.’’
As it is, she was the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon in the professional era, winning three matches last week in the preliminary rounds.
Then by upsetting five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, who is 39, in the first round of the main event, Gauff became the youngest woman to win a match at the All England Club since Jennifer Capriati reached the semifinals at 15 in 1991.
That was followed by a victory against 2017 Wimbledon semifinalist Magdalena Rybarikova, who is 30, before she got past Hercog, 28. When a reporter wanted to know how Gauff might spend the prize money she already has earned — about $220,000 — she replied: ‘‘I mean, I can’t buy a car because I can’t drive.’’
That made her giggle, as did some of the other things she said at her news conference, including her unprompted opening line about Jayden Smith’s new album, her plea for tickets to a Beyonce concert and poking fun at her mother, Candi, for the way she waved her arms overhead when the match Friday was over.
‘‘Please tell me she’s a meme,’’ Gauff said. ‘‘I’m so excited to go on Instagram.’’
Next up is a fourth-round matchup Monday against 2018 French Open champion and former world No. 1 Simona Halep, who eliminated Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-1.
Among other women’s third-round winners were third-seeded Karolina Pliskova and eighth-seeded Elina Svitolina.
On the men’s side, top-seeded Novak Djokovic overcame a mild scare from Hubert Hurkacz to win in four sets, but fourth-seeded Kevin Anderson, who lost to Djokovic in the final last year, 10th-seeded Karen Khachanov and 11th-seeded Daniil Medvedev were upset.