Wimbledon 2019: Coco Gauff shocks Venus Williams in first round

She’s 15 with a kick serve and in just over an hour, Cori “Coco’’ Gauff demolished her idol.

Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff pumps her fist after taking the first set against Venus Williams. Picture: AP

She’s 15 with a kick serve and a graceful presence around the court. And in just over an hour Cori “Coco” Gauff announced her breakthrough presence on the women’s tennis scene with a breathtaking straight sets victory over five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams.

Gauff, the youngest to have qualified for the main Wimbledon draw in Championship history, was so overcome by the changing of the guard moment that she unloaded to her 39-year-old idol at the net.

“Venus told me congratulations and keep going, she said good luck and I told her thanks for everything she did,” said Gauff, who wasn’t even born when Venus had won four of her seven grand slams.

Coco Gauff, right, is congratulated at the net by Venus Williams following the 15-year-old’s upset victory at Wimbledon. Picture: AP

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her — I told her she was so inspiring and I’ve always wanted to tell her that but I’ve never had the guts to before.’’

Gauff’s 6-4, 6-4 first round win in her debut grand slam on Wimbledon’s court one may have heralded a new star in the women’s game, but her emergence was not a surprise.

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Two years ago, Gauff explained she wanted to be the greatest tennis player of all time when she was the youngest ever US Junior finalist; 12 months ago she won the junior title at the French Open.

“I said this before, I want to be the greatest,” she said.

“My dad told me that I could do this when I was eight. Obviously you never believe it. I’m still, like, not 100% confident. But you never know what happens.

Coco Gauff serves during her Wimbledon victory over Venus Williams. Picture: AP

“If I went into this match saying, ‘let’s see how many games I can get against her’, then I most definitely would not have won. My goal was to play my best. My dream was to win. That’s what happened.”

Gauff said her phone “has been banging” since her win.

“My grandma called me. My brother, he called me. He said his chest is out, he’s going to brag to all his friends. He texted me ‘Happy 40K followers’ because I gained some followers after the match. All my friends are texting me. I’m going to be up all night trying to respond to everybody.”

Gauff’s parents, Corey, a Georgia State basketball player and mother Candi, a track athlete at Florida State, jubilantly hugged each other to celebrate their daughter’s big win.

The captivating youngster has long credited her family for helping her tennis career. She experimented with soccer, tennis and gymnastics but concentrated on tennis from the age of eight. Within a few years the family, including her two younger brothers Codey and Cameron, moved from Atlanta to Florida. In recent years Gauff has spent time in France at the Mouratoglou camp in Nice, where the Williams sisters often train.

Gauff said this morning: “I had to tell myself to stay calm, I’d never played on a court so big. I had to remind myself that the lines are the same size.”

Venus Williams said of Gauff’s future: “I think the sky’s the limit, it really is.”

Coco Gauff comes to terms with her victory over Venus Williams. Picture: AP

Gauff shed tears of joy, but across the way on centre court Japan’s former world number one Naomi Osaka was so emotional she cut short her press conference, saying: “Can I leave? I feel like I’m about to cry”.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka fell in the first round. Picture: AP

Osaka was beaten in straight sets by Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, 7-6, 6-2.

Two Australians — Daria Gavrilova and Astra Sharma — lost their first round matches, but later in the day Ajla Tomljanovic won through to the second round, the first time she has done so in four years.

Tomljanovic beat the Russian 29th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-1.

“It probably looked a bit easier than it was,” Tomljanovic said.

“First rounds are always tricky and I don’t think it was her best performance but I was able to take advantage and I am just relieved I won.”

Tomljanovic said her Wimbledon history had been littered with “some pretty rough draws” but was thrilled to get though to face former two-time semi-finalist Victoria Azarenka in the second round.

“Wimbledon is always special and I think last year and this year I have had some pretty rough draws in the slams,” she said.

“I’ve had a couple of tough matches so it was really good to get through to the second round.

“It’s just the first round … but overall I think the ceiling’s still high. But I’m glad with where I’m going and my path. I think I have a lot more to show and to keep building.”