WIMBLEDON, England — Sofia Kenin shocked Coco Gauff at a Grand Slam match once more by beating her 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 within the first spherical of Wimbledon in a back-and-forth matchup Monday between two American girls who each have reached No. 4 within the rankings and been to a serious ultimate.
One key distinction: Kenin was the 2020 Australian Open champion, beating Gauff alongside the way in which to that trophy; Gauff was the runner-up on the 2022 French Open.
And whereas Gauff was seeded No. 7 on the All England Club, Kenin has tumbled to date down after three consecutive first-round exits at main tournaments that she is ranked 128th this week and wanted to make her method via qualifying rounds simply to get into Wimbledon’s principal draw.
“I’m just super,” Kenin started, earlier than reducing herself off, throughout her on-court interview. Then she resumed: “Oh, my God. I can’t even, like, talk. I’m super happy. Coco played a tough match. I knew I needed to play my best in order to win.”
Gauff performed a extra aggressive type on Monday. Kenin was steadier, with far fewer winners but in addition far fewer unforced errors.
That mirrored Kenin’s mindset, which she described as: “Don’t get anxious or super excited.”
There had been highlights galore, together with one sequence every wherein one participant fell all the way down to the grass, acquired herself again up and ended up taking the purpose.
It was at Wimbledon in 2019 that Gauff made her breakthrough and started to determine herself as a family title at age 15.
She turned the youngest participant to qualify on the All England Club, then beat seven-time main champion Venus Williams within the first spherical en path to getting all the way in which to the fourth spherical earlier than dropping to eventual title winner Simona Halep.
Still simply 19, Gauff is taken into account one of many rising stars of ladies’s tennis. That label was utilized to Kenin simply three years in the past, when she got here out on high at Melbourne Park whereas all of 21 after defeating Gauff within the fourth spherical there.
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