Wimbledon: The major names that were knocked out on the first day of Wimbledon on Monday were Coco Gauff and Venus Williams.
Gauff was the seventh seed but succumbed to fellow American Sofia Kenin 6-4 4-6 6-2 on Court No. 1.
Kenin, who won the Australian Open in 2020 but has struggled since was overjoyed with the outcome. This was her first grand slam victory since 2021.
Kenin had to qualify in order to compete in this competition, but she was able to out-hit her tough opponent.
Kenin took the opening set after an early break, soaking off Gauff’s strength and delivering some superb strokes of her own.
Gauff, who was playing on the same court where she memorably defeated Venus Williams four years ago, fought back and broke at 5-4 in the second set.
However, she was unable to continue on and win the final set. Kenin did, in fact, take an early lead in the third and then scored a key second at 4-2.
She served out the match to earn a spectacular win and a spot in the second round.
“I am just super happy,” Kenin said afterwards. “Coco played a tough match, and I knew I needed to play my best to win.
“This means a lot to me because I had to go through qualies and I fought out there. This was simply another match to me. I know Coco has had a fantastic year, so I’m just really proud of myself.”
“I knew coming in she’d play with a lot of motivation,” Gauff remarked. It was all about how I played today and how I handled my end of the court. I did in some instances, but clearly not enough.
“Right now, I’m feeling very frustrated and disappointed,” she continued. “It motivates me to work even harder. I’ve been working hard, but it’s evident that it’s not enough.
“I’m going to have to go back to the drawing board.”
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