Coco Gauff Wimbledon Loss: Dayana Yastremska Upsets French Open Champion in First Round Shock

Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon loss marks a rare and historic stumble for a reigning French Open champion, falling to unseeded Dayana Yastremska in straight sets on Day 2 of the tournament.

In a stunning Coco Gauff Wimbledon loss that echoed across Centre Court and beyond, the world watched as the reigning French Open champion became only the third woman in the Open Era to crash out of Wimbledon in the first round following a Roland-Garros victory. Gauff, 21, was eliminated 7–6 (3), 6–1 by unseeded Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska under the lights on Court No. 1 Tuesday night.

“Dayana started off playing strong,” Gauff acknowledged after the match. “I couldn’t find my footing out there today.”

The early exit sends Gauff home far sooner than expected and joins her with fellow American and No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula, who also bowed out during Day 2 of the Championships. With 23 seeds (13 men and 10 women) already out before the first round concluded, the 2024 Wimbledon Championships are seeing one of the most unpredictable starts in recent memory — tying the record for most seeded players eliminated early at a Grand Slam since the 32-seed system began in 2001.

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A Historic French Open–Wimbledon Turnaround

Gauff’s defeat comes just three weeks after she lifted the trophy at Roland-Garros, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final and capturing her second career Grand Slam title.

But the quick surface switch from red clay to grass may have proven to be a bigger challenge than expected.

“I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards,” Gauff said. “So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it.”

She dismissed any notion that the venue change — from Centre Court to Court No. 1 — or the late notification of a start time shift impacted her performance. “I don’t think that mattered today,” she said.

Still, grass has historically been Gauff’s most difficult surface. Despite her breakout moment at Wimbledon in 2019, when she beat Venus Williams at age 15 and advanced to the fourth round, this tournament remains the only Slam where she has yet to make a semifinal. Tuesday’s loss marks the second time in three years she has been ousted in the first round at SW19.

Only Justine Henin (2005) and Francesca Schiavone (2010) had previously experienced the rare slide of winning the French Open and then losing in round one at Wimbledon during the Open Era.

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Serve Troubles and Missed Opportunities

From the outset, Gauff appeared off rhythm, with her serve — often her weapon — becoming a liability. She landed just 45% of her first serves, won only 14 of 32 points on her second serve, and double-faulted repeatedly, including twice during the tiebreak and again early in the second set when Yastremska earned the first break.

“When I can serve well, and some games I did, it’s definitely an added threat,” Gauff said. “I didn’t serve that well.”

Despite coming into the match with a perfect 3–0 record against Yastremska, Gauff couldn’t match the Ukrainian’s precision and composure on grass.

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Yastremska Seizes Her Moment

On the other side of the net, Dayana Yastremska, currently ranked No. 42, delivered one of the most inspired performances of her career. She struck 16 winners and played aggressively throughout, showing none of the nerves that might be expected when facing a recent Grand Slam champion.

“I was really on fire,” said Yastremska, glowing after the win. “Playing against Coco, it is something special.”

While Gauff was 20–3 in first-round matches at majors before Tuesday, Yastremska held just a 10–11 record at that stage. But momentum was on her side, having just made her first grass-court final in Nottingham in June — a run she says gave her confidence heading into Wimbledon.

“I love playing on grass. I feel that this year we are kind of friends,” she said with a smile. “I hope the road will continue for me here.”

Yastremska’s previous best showing at Wimbledon was a fourth-round finish in 2019, though she was also a finalist in the junior event three years earlier.

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A Cautionary Tale of Momentum and Recovery

The Coco Gauff Wimbledon loss serves as a reminder of the narrow margin between momentum and burnout at the elite level of tennis. For Gauff, the combination of emotional highs after Roland-Garros and a rapid return to competition may have been too steep a hill to climb.

As the tournament moves forward, the women’s draw remains wide open, and Gauff — despite the disappointment — will likely use this experience as fuel heading into the U.S. hardcourt season later this summer.

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