Wimbledon saw its first upset of the 2023 women's draw on Monday as the seventh-seeded Coco Gauff lost her first-round match to fellow American Sofia Kenin. The match went the distance with Kenin taking it in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
It is the first time Gauff failed to win a match in the Wimbledon main draw and the third time she lost in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament in 16 career appearances.
Gauff entered Wimbledon as the second-highest-ranked American behind her doubles partner Jessica Pegula. The pair are the No. 2 seed in the women's doubles draw after reaching the semifinals at both the Australian Open and French Open.
Though it is an upset in the books, Kenin is no normal qualifier. The 24-year-old won the Australian Open in 2020 and has ranked as high as fourth in her career. Injuries derailed her 2022 season and she entered Wimbledon ranked 128th in the world. She has never made it past the second round at the All-English Club.
Gauff will now turn her full attention to doubles where she'll have a solid chance at winning her first Grand Slam title of any kind. Still just 19 years old, she'll get plenty of opportunities to come out on top in a major but will surely be disappointed with a first-round exit.
Coco Gauff has had the spotlight on her ever since she made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 2019 at the age of 15. While she has yet to win a major tournament, the young American has shown she is among the best women's players in the world.
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