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re: Wimbledon 2019: SCHEDULE-RESULTS & NEWS,
Cori Gauff Fights Back From Brink of Defeat to Keep Magical Wimbledon Run Alive on Centre Court
Cori Gauff celebrates beating Polona Hercog to reach the Wimbledon fourth round Credit: Reuters
Oliver Brown, Chief Sports Feature Writer, at Wimbledon, 5 July 2019
Wimbledon has officially gone loco for Coco. On an evening of churning Centre Court drama, Cori Gauff – nicknamed Coco, as she has come to be known to everyone in the tennis world and beyond – confirmed herself as quite possibly the most nerveless 15-year-old on the planet.
Saving two match points, the teenager returned from the ragged edge of defeat at Wimbledon last night to secure an astounding 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 victory over Slovenia’s Polona Hercog, one that transformed her from prodigy to bona fide superstar.
What, ultimately, is talent without tenacity? Gauff had shown to everybody here, through her straight-sets wins over Venus Williams and Magdalena Rybarikova, that she had natural gifts in abundance, but in this extraordinary fight with Hercog she confirmed that she also had the resilience.
Even when spectators on Centre Court had all but given up on her hopes, she rebounded out of nowhere, emerging on top from a gripping tie-break to take the contest into a third hour. And in the longest match of her life, it was she who stood tallest, wrapping up her place in the last 16, where she plays world No 7 Simona Halep.
Her precocious composure, she explained, was a virtue instilled by her parents, both of whom had significant sporting careers. No one would have guessed that this was her baptism on a “sacred” court, as Gauff described it.
The impression was that she had at last been overpowered, as Hercog sauntered out to a 6-3, 5-2 lead. Gauff packed three double-faults into one game to surrender the first set. But the tale, she decided, needed to have a more rousing ending than this. She had travelled too far, won too many admirers, to slip out of the tournament tamely.
Cori Gauff of The United States plays a volley in her Ladies' Singles third round match against Polona Hercog of Slovenia during Day five of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 05, 2019 in London, England
Gauff makes a forehand smash Credit: Getty Images
Gauff is the youngest player to reach the last 16 since Jennifer Capriati in 1991. While the history of women’s tennis is filled with teenage prodigies, few, if any, have made such an indelible impact on a Wimbledon debut.
Just when the crowd had settled into a mood of bleak resignation, she found her finest form all evening, saving Hercog’s first match point with the deftest backhand slice. The Slovenian hardly had to be reminded that she was struggling for the crowd’s affections, especially when her next netted forehand drew raucous cheers.
Gauff had forced her to try to serve this out, and the 28-year-old, seeking a first fourth-round appearance at a major, folded under the strain. No sooner had she brought up a second chance to wrap it all up with an ace than she double-faulted, before spraying a forehand long.
It was becoming rowdy in the debentures, as well-watered patrons willed Gauff towards a memorable encore. “Pressure is a privilege,” yelled one.
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