Coco Gauff shocked by Wimbledon qualifier Sofia Kenin | Tennis News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Coco Gauff on Monday suffered a disappointing exit in the first round of Wimbledon, losing to Sofia Kenin in a match that can be seen as a missed opportunity rather than a shocking upset.
The fact that Gauff was pitted against her resurgent compatriot, Sofia Kenin, already posed a significant challenge. Despite Kenin’s current ranking of 128, she is a former grand slam champion, and their match ended with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory for Kenin. Although it was a tough loss for the seventh-seeded Gauff, it didn’t come as a surprise.
It’s important to note that Kenin had to go through the qualifying rounds to secure a spot in the main draw. Both players have previously achieved a high ranking of world number four before injuries and illnesses impacted Kenin’s performance. On a chilly night at Wimbledon‘s Court One, there was little that separated the two players.
“I am super happy,” Kenin told the Court One crowd as dusk descended and after Gauff had left the arena. “Coco played a tough match, and I knew I had to play my best match to win.”
Moscow-born Floridian Kenin had begun the stronger, the 24-year-old flying out of the traps with a barrage of ground strokes taken super-early or at the top of the bounce, clattering them away for winners against her on-the-back-foot teenage opponent.
Gauff, herself a formidable ball-striker, steadied herself to edge the second set and restore balance, but it was Kenin who nosed ahead early in the decider and retained her grip, never allowing the increasingly frustrated 19-year-old another foothold.

“Point by point,” Kenin said. “(Just told myself) don’t get over anxious or super excited… I am just happy to finish before it got dark… Coco has had a great season and I am super proud of myself.”
(With inputs from Reuters)