Coco Gauff, Venus Williams knocked out of Wimbledon on first day of matches
WIMBLEDON, England — Sofia Kenin surprised Delray Beach's Coco Gauff at a Grand Slam tournament again by beating her 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the first round of Wimbledon in a back-and-forth matchup Monday between two American women who both have reached No. 4 in the rankings and been to a major final.
One key difference: Kenin was the 2020 Australian Open champion, beating Gauff along the way to that trophy; Gauff was the runner-up at the 2022 French Open and has yet to win a Grand Slam championship.
And while Gauff was seeded No. 7 at the All England Club, Kenin has tumbled so far down after three consecutive first-round exits at major tournaments that she is ranked 128th this week. She also needed to make her way through qualifying rounds just to get into Wimbledon’s main draw.Also losing on Monday during the opening day at Wimbledon was West Palm Beach's Venus Williams, who fell to 2019 Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina, 6-4, 6-3.
Gauff played a more aggressive style on Monday. Kenin was steadier, with far fewer winners but also far fewer unforced errors.Kenin also acknowledged afterward that she set out to “pick on her forehand a little bit more,” referring to Gauff’s weaker side.
“I didn’t really put too much pressure on her,” Gauff said. “I felt like she could make a ball on the court (and) didn’t have to be as good — and I wouldn’t do much with it. That’s what happened.”
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.“With three wins under her belt from ‘qualies,’ I knew she was going to be playing with confidence,” Gauff said when asked about whether Kenin could return to the heights she once reached. “I mean, it’s always possible for somebody to get back to that level. She’s still on the younger end of her career. I think with how she played today, it shouldn’t be too long.”
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 just 19, Gauff is considered one of the rising stars of women’s tennis. That label was applied to Kenin just three years ago, when she came out on top at Melbourne Park while all of 21 after defeating Gauff in the fourth round there.“She had nothing to lose today. Obviously she won a Grand Slam, but she’s in a tough spot in her career,” Gauff said. “So 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.”
Venus starts strong, then falters after injuring knee
Williams entered Centre Court Monday for her 24th Wimbledon appearance at age 43, greeted by a standing ovation. She held a green exercise band overhead with both hands and stretched it while striding to her sideline seat.
Once her first-round match against Svitolina began, Williams played like a throwback version of herself. Those big serves. Those crisp strokes. Quickly, she was a point from a 3-0 lead.
And then, moving forward to attempt a volley, Williams slipped on the green grass. Her right foot gave way. She collapsed to the ground. She shrieked and clutched at her right knee, which already was covered by a beige sleeve. Williams twice was treated by a trainer — including getting that knee taped up during a medical timeout after the first set — and although the American kept playing, she could not manage to overcome Svitolina.“I’m not sure what I’ve done. I’m going to have to investigate it tomorrow. It’s late today. But it was quite painful,” Williams said. “Grass is inherently going to be slippery; you’re going to fall at some point. It was just bad luck for me. I started the match perfectly. I was literally killing it. And then I got killed by the grass.”
Williams, a former No. 1 now ranked outside the Top 500 after a series of injuries that limited her to 22 matches since the start of 2021, was the oldest player in this year’s field and the fourth-oldest to compete in the main draw at Wimbledon.
“Right now, I’m kind of in shock. I can’t believe this happened. It’s bizarre. I’m still processing it at the moment,” Williams said at her news conference, more than an hour after the match ended. “What makes this one hard to process is that I’ve had so many injuries. ... This is not what I want for myself.”
Svitolina was only 2 when Williams made her Wimbledon debut in 1997 and just 5 when Williams won the event for the first time in 2000.
“It’s always a pleasure to play against Venus,” Svitolina said, calling her opponent a “big legend.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Coco Gauff, Venus Williams knocked out of Wimbledon on opening day
