AMERICAN star Coco Gauff suffered a stunning first-round exit at Wimbledon on Tuesday, falling to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 7-6 (7/3), 6-1. The US Open champion, fresh from her French Open triumph, struggled to adapt to the grass as her Grand Slam campaign ended abruptly.
Gauff, seeded second, admitted the emotional toll of her recent success played a role. “I felt overwhelmed after Paris and didn’t have enough time to reset,“ she said. “This is a learning experience for next time.”
The shocks continued as third seed Jessica Pegula lost to Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto, while China’s Zheng Qinwen was ousted by Katerina Siniakova. Men’s third seed Alexander Zverev also fell, defeated in five sets by France’s Arthur Rinderknech. The German later revealed his mental struggles, saying, “I feel very alone out there at times.”
Defending women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova overcame a slow start to beat Alexandra Eala 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. The Czech star, battling injuries this season, said, “I’m just happy to be competing here again.”
Novak Djokovic survived a mid-match slump to defeat Alexandre Muller 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, 6-2. The Serb, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam, credited “miracle pills” for helping him recover. “I went from my best to my worst, but found a way,“ he said.
Elsewhere, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek cruised through, while Petra Kvitova bid an emotional farewell after losing to Emma Navarro.
