Coco’s run ends Teen star tumbles to Halep at Wimbledon
After the deepest run by a player her age in nearly 30 years, Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon is over. The 15-year-old was the first player that young to make it to the fourth round of the tournament since Jennifer Capriati made the semis in 1991, and Simona Halep made sure she wouldn’t make it any further. Halep bounced Gauff, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the quarterfinals.
The teen sensation had wowed many, performing with a prowess that seemed well beyond her years. She oozed confidence in every shot leading up to Monday’s fourth-round match, but she was outmatched from the start against the former No. 1.
Halep coasted in straight sets, with a little help from Gauff, who made 29 unforced errors.
Gauff tried to set the tone early. In the fourth game of the first set, Gauff and Halep were tied, 2-2, then Halep got comfortable and went on the attack. Gauff held her own, playing the strong offense she’d shown her last three matches, but there’s a reason Halep is still world No. 7. Gauff simply could not keep up, dropping the next game after hitting a backhand into the net.
By the second set, Gauff looked winded, but not out. Down 2-1, Gauff called for the trainer, then rallied back to tie the set, 2-2. Halep took a 4-2 lead in the set, and would only drop the eighth game. Up 5-3, Halep mostly breezed through the last game, which ended after a last-ditch challenge by Gauff of a forehand she thought was in and could have saved her another match point.
The amount of support for Coco has poured in from many, including tennis legend Billie Jean King, who tweeted, “Your journey is far from over, @CocoGauff. Looking forward to watching your future successes on the court and off. #BigFan”
“It was really surprising, because you don’t really expect this kind of support when you’re in another country, not your home country. I really did feel like I was probably playing in New York. I’m just really happy that people believe in me,” said Gauff, according to the Associated Press. “I wasn’t feeling my best, I wasn’t playing my best, but they were still supporting me, no matter what.”
Halep, the 2018 French Open winner, simply made the better shots and Gauff tired out too quickly; that’s a formula for ending your tournament. There will be tremendous pressure on Gauff from here, but this Wimbledon run gave a hint that she’s well-equipped to handle it.
“What I’ve learned about me is I’m a fighter and I’ll never give up,” Gauff said.