Call it a Grand Slam upset as American tennis star Coco Gauff, the No. 2 seed, was bounced from Wimbledon in the first round on Tuesday by Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska.
The shocking defeat came after Gauff captured her second Grand Slam title earlier this month with a victory at the French Open, making her the third woman in the Open era to fall in the first round at Wimbledon after winning at Roland Garros.
Gauff fell to her unseeded opponent 7-6(3), 6-1 in part due to 29 unforced errors, including nine double-faults.
Coco Gauff reacts during her first-round Wimbledon loss on July 1, 2025. Getty Images
Two of those occurred in the tiebreak for the first set, which Gauff trailed most of the way, eventually costing her the opener.
The stunning nature of Gauff’s loss was compounded by the fact that Yastremska did not have a victory over a Top 10 player this year.
“Playing Coco is something special,” said Yastremska, who had lost her past three matches with Gauff. “We’ve played 4 times. It’s 3-1 for her. She’s a great player and great person. We have a very good relationship. I enjoyed a lot. These courts are made for the greatest players. I’m very grateful to be on this court. Thank you so much for the support.”
Gauff has struggled at the All England Club, despite recording one of the first major wins of her career there in 2019, when she toppled Venus Williams at the age of 15 and made it to the fourth round.
Dayana Yastremska reacts during her Wimbledon win over Coco Gauff on July 1, 2025. APBut the fourth round is the furthest she’s made it at Wimbledon. She’s been knocked out in the fourth round in two of the past three years.
The jump from clay courts at the French Open to the grass at Wimbledon has been a challenge for many players over the years.
Tuesday’s first-round match had been slated for Centre Court, but was moved to No. 1 Court, the site of Gauff’s first-round exit two years ago.
The court clearly had some significance for Yastremska as well.
Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine shakes hands with Coco Gauff of the U.S., left, after winning the first round women’s single match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. AP“First thing I wanna say is this court brings me a lot of nice memories,” she said. “I played here in junior finals. It gave me a lot of emotions. I think it was a great match today. I was really on fire. I even have fire on my nails.”
Tuesday was also a tough day for another American woman at the tournament: No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula was eliminated in the first round earlier in the day.
