American teenager Coco Gauff was the first big-name casualty at Wimbledon 2023 after losing her first round match against Sofia Kenin.
Sofia Kenin used to be the up-and-coming American, the one who was a Grand Slam champion at age 21, the one who beat a teenage Coco Gauff on the way to that trophy, the one who right afterward broke into the Top 10 in the WTA rankings, then soon made another run to a major final. (More Tennis News)
After all of that came a series of health issues 바카라 a lingering foot injury, a bout with COVID-19, a right ankle problem 바카라 and three first-round exits in a row at major tournaments, all of which added up to a slide down the rankings. Coming into Wimbledon, Kenin was ranked 128th, so low she needed to go through three qualifying rounds just to get into the main draw, where she was placed in the bracket against none other than Gauff.
It바카라s Gauff who is now in the Top 10 at age 19 and seeded No. 7 at the All England Club, who was a Slam runner-up at last year바카라s French Open, who was a quarterfinalist or better at four of the most recent nine majors. And yet it was Kenin who came out on top in their highlight-filled matchup on a windy, chilly Monday at No. 1 Court, beating Gauff 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
바카라I know where I was,바카라 Kenin said, 바카라and where I should be.바카라
She was steadier than Gauff, with far fewer winners but also far fewer unforced errors.
Here바카라s how Kenin described her mindset: 바카라Don바카라t get anxious or super excited.바카라
Kenin also acknowledged afterward that she set out to 바카라pick on her forehand a little bit more,바카라 referring to Gauff바카라s weaker side.
바카라I didn바카라t really put too much pressure on her,바카라 Gauff said. 바카라I felt like she could make a ball on the court (and) didn바카라t have to be as good 바카라 and I wouldn바카라t do much with it. That바카라s what happened.바카라
There were highlights galore, including one sequence each in which one player fell down to the grass, got herself back up and ended up taking the point.
바카라With three wins under her belt from 바카라qualies,바카라 I knew she was going to be playing with confidence,바카라 Gauff said when asked about whether Kenin could return to the heights she once reached. 바카라I mean, it바카라s always possible for somebody to get back to that level. She바카라s still on the younger end of her career. I think with how she played today, it shouldn바카라t be too long.바카라
It was at Wimbledon in 2019 that Gauff made her breakthrough and began to establish herself as a household name at age 15.
She became the youngest player to qualify at the All England Club, then beat seven-time major champion Venus Williams in the first round en route to getting all the way to the fourth round before losing to eventual title winner Simona Halep.
Still not yet 20, Gauff is considered one of the rising stars of women바카라s tennis. That label was applied to Kenin just three years ago.
바카라She had nothing to lose today. Obviously she won a Grand Slam, but she바카라s in a tough spot in her career,바카라 Gauff said. 바카라So I knew coming in she would play with a lot of motivation. It was all about how I would play today and how I would take care of my end of the court. I did in certain moments, but obviously not enough.바카라