Gauff, 15, in round of 16 after latest win
WIMBLEDON, England — It was easy to forget that Coco Gauff is still just 15 as she stood on the grass of Centre Court, pounding her chest and shouting, “Let’s go! Come on!” to celebrate a 32stroke point that forced a third set in her match Friday evening 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 already twice had been a point from losing in the third round to Polona Hercog of Slovenia.
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. Gauff is, quite clearly, not most players. That much has been established. 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 at Wimbledon’s main stadium says plenty about what a sensation the Floridian has become. That she erased two match points en route to defeating Hercog 36, 76 (7), 75 offers 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 against higherranked women in the preliminary rounds.
Then, by beating fivetime 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 in 1991 at age 15.
Gauff ’s win over Williams was followed by a victory against 2017 Wimbledon semifinalist Magdalena Rybarikova, who is 30, and Friday’s win over Hercog, 28. When a reporter wanted to know how Gauff might spend the prize money she’s already 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 through a smile, including her unprompted opening line about Jayden Smith’s new album, her plea for tickets to a Beyoncé concert and poking fun at her mother, Candi, for the way she waved her arms overhead when Friday’s victory was over.
“Please tell me she’s a meme,” Gauff said. “I’m so excited to go on Instagram.”
Next up: A fourthround matchup Monday against 2018 French Open champion and former No. 1 Simona Halep, who eliminated twotime major champ Victoria Azarenka 63, 61.
Other roundof16 women’s contests Monday will be No. 3 seed Karolina Pliskova against Karolina Muchova, No. 8 Elina Svitolina against No. 24 Petra Martic, and Dayana Yastremska against Zhang Shuai, who defeated former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 64, 62.
The other eight women in the round of 16 will be decided Saturday, when players including topranked Ash Barty and Serena Williams play their third round matches.
The top half of the men’s draw, meanwhile, saw more in its series of upsets, leaving defending champion Novak Djokovic with what seems like little resistance in his road to the final. The No. 1 seed got a brief test before righting himself and getting past Hubert Hurkacz 75, 67 (5), 61, 64. No one else on that side of the bracket is ranked higher than 17th; that’s the spot held by Milos Raonic, who is also the only other player who ever has been to a Grand Slam final.
Those exiting included last year’s runnerup, No. 4 Kevin Anderson, who was knocked off by No. 26 Guido Pella 64, 63, 76 (4). Pella beat 2017 runnerup Marin Cilic last year at Wimbledon and now will face 2016 runnerup Raonic, who beat Reilly Opelka of the U.S. 76 (1), 62, 61.
No. 10 Karen Khachanov, No. 11 Daniil Medvedev and No. 19 Felix AugerAliassime all lost.
“It’s impossible to say who is going to figure things out more than the others to do what it takes to win Slams,” Anderson said.
Gauff, on othe other hand, is looking like someone who can go far in the coming years.
She has a big serve, dialing it up to 118 mph Friday — only Hercog and Serena Williams have hit one faster this week. And she possesses some real calm amid a storm.
As Hercog put it: “She’s probably older in her head than the numbers show.” Howard Fendrich is an Associated Press writer.