Coco Gauff Suffers Shocking First-Round Wimbledon Exit \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Coco Gauff exited Wimbledon in the first round, losing 7-6 (3), 6-1 to unseeded Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska. Gauff, fresh off her French Open title, struggled with 29 unforced errors and 9 double-faults. She’s only the third woman in the Open era to lose round one at Wimbledon after winning the French Open.
Quick Looks
- Gauff eliminated in Round 1, falling to Dayana Yastremska 7-6 (3), 6-1.
- 29 unforced errors and 9 double-faults plagued her performance.
- Third Open era player to exit Wimbledon R1 after winning French Open.
- Serving struggles returned, including a 45% first serve percentage.
- Yastremska now holds 1-3 record against Gauff, calling win “something special.”
- 23 seeded players eliminated by Day 2, tying Grand Slam record.
Deep Look
Coco Gauff’s hopes for a historic summer Grand Slam run came crashing down at Wimbledon on Tuesday night, as the No. 2 seed suffered a stunning first-round loss to unseeded Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, 7-6 (3), 6-1. The defeat makes Gauff only the third woman in the Open era to lose in the opening round at Wimbledon directly after winning the French Open.
Coming just three weeks after her triumph on the red clay of Roland-Garros—where she overcame world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final—Gauff was nowhere near her best on the grass courts of the All England Club. On Court No. 1, she delivered a disjointed performance riddled with 29 unforced errors and just six winners, as well as nine costly double-faults.
“I couldn’t find my footing out there today,” Gauff admitted after the match. “Dayana started off playing strong.”
Indeed, Yastremska was sharp from the outset and showed no signs of intimidation despite being ranked 42nd and entering the match with an 0-3 record against Gauff. She played aggressive, confident tennis, tallying 16 winners and dominating the second set. Her recent run to a grass-court final in Nottingham seemed to give her the momentum and belief she needed.
“I was really on fire,” Yastremska said. “Playing against Coco, it is something special.”
While Yastremska’s power and timing on grass carried her through, Gauff’s serve betrayed her again—an ongoing issue in her game. She managed to land only 45% of her first serves, won just 44% of her second-serve points, and delivered double-faults at critical moments, including two in the first-set tiebreak and another to start the second set.
Despite acknowledging the physical and mental fatigue from a quick turnaround after her Paris victory, Gauff didn’t blame external circumstances. She downplayed the impact of the last-minute match scheduling change, which moved her contest from Centre Court to Court No. 1 with only about an hour’s notice.
Still, the combination of short rest, emotional overload, and grass-court discomfort proved too much. Gauff, now 21, has never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon—the site of her breakout in 2019, when she beat Venus Williams at just 15. Tuesday’s defeat marked her second first-round exit at the tournament in the last three years.
This year’s early rounds at Wimbledon have seen an extraordinary shake-up. Gauff joined fellow top-seeded American Jessica Pegula (No. 3) on the sidelines, as a total of 23 seeded players—13 men and 10 women—have been eliminated before the first round even concluded. That ties the most seeds ever ousted at this stage since Grand Slams expanded to 32 seeds in 2001.
Gauff had a 20-3 record in Grand Slam first-round matches entering Tuesday and was expected to be a top contender in London. Her previous Wimbledon loss in 2023 also came early, in a stunning upset by Sofia Kenin.
Yastremska, meanwhile, is enjoying a resurgence in her career. Her best Grand Slam result came at last year’s Australian Open, where she reached the semifinals. At Wimbledon, her deepest previous run came in 2019, when she reached the fourth round. She was also a junior finalist at the All England Club in 2016, giving her a comfort level on grass that was evident Tuesday night.
“I love playing on grass,” Yastremska added. “I feel that this year we are kind of friends. I hope the road will continue for me here.”
As Wimbledon moves forward, Gauff’s early exit reshapes the women’s draw and serves as a reminder of how challenging it is to transition from clay to grass. Only Serena Williams in 2015 has managed to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year over the past decade. Since the Open era began, only Justine Henin in 2005 and Francesca Schiavone in 2010 have followed French Open glory with a first-round exit at Wimbledon.
Gauff joins that rare and unwelcome company in 2025.
Coco Gauff Suffers
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