‘Poise’ paving the way
At 17, Gauff shows ability to battle through adversity
WIMBLEDON, England — Do not get the wrong idea about Coco Gauff and assume that, just because she’s already displayed so much talent and promise by age 17, occasions such as Thursday’s, when she played a woman twice her age at Centre Court, are in any way glossed over as “Been there, done that.”
This is, after all, the most famous arena in tennis. This is, after all, Wimbledon. And Gauff is, after all, still relatively new to a lot of this: She began the week having played a total of two grass-court events and seven Grand Slam tournaments, one of which, of course, was her captivating run to the fourth round at the All England Club as a 15-year-old qualifier two years ago.
So, yes, there was some shakiness early against Elena Vesnina, a 34-yearold Russian who said afterward, “I saw that she was nervous.” Gauff acknowledged so afterward. So maybe that’s why she was the first to face break points. Or managed merely one groundstroke winner in the opening set. Still, the newcomer did what veterans do — find a way — and emerged with a 6-4, 6-3 victory to return to Wimbledon’s third round.
“With a little bit of adversity for the first time, she went for her shots and she stayed committed to the serve,” said Gauff ’s father, Corey. “So I was impressed with that — her poise.”
That matters at this level and on these stages, where one bad afternoon can send someone home.
While many familiar faces still are chasing the men’s title this fortnight — eight-time champ Roger Federer, No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev, No. 4 Alexander Zverev and No. 7 Matteo Berrettini all won; No. 1 Novak Djokovic’s bid for a sixth title resumes Friday — Elina Svitolina’s loss Thursday means eight of the top 11 women in the WTA rankings are missing from the bracket.
“Mentally, for sure, I need to reset ... rest,” No. 3 seed Svitolina said after producing 20 fewer winners than her foe in a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Magda Linette.
No. 1 Ash Barty, who retired mid-match against Linette at the French Open last month because of a hip injury, wasn’t at her best but overcame nine double-faults to advance with a 6-4, 6-3 win on a day with no rain, some slices of blue sky and even the sun sneaking through the clouds as the temperature finally topped 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Gauff ’s serve provided nine aces, including seven in the first set when a lot else wasn’t really working.
A 118 mph delivery on match point was dumped in the net by Vesnina. Up in the player guest box, Gauff ’s parents rose. Dad clapped, then kissed Mom, who captured their daughter’s moment with a cellphone camera. It was a bit more subdued than the raucous celebrations two years ago, when Gauff was a revelation.
Back then, everything was so fresh and new and unexpected. The question on everyone’s mind: Is she really doing this?
Now the vibe is: She most certainly can.