Coco Gauff hangs tough to reach Wimbledon second round

London — Coco Gauff made sure she was not thrown off course by the noisy racket created by Nick Kyrgios in a nearby court or by the fact she managed to convert only four of 25 break points as she reached the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday.

With Australian hot-head Kyrgios up to his usual antics, yelling at the umpire and involved in heated exchanges with other officials during his first-round match, the commotion from court three might have distracted Gauff as she lost the opening seven points to Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

Despite the inauspicious start and her growing frustration in failing to convert so many break points, the 11th seed hung tough for 2½ hours to seal a place in round two with a 2-6 6-3 7-5 win over the little-known Romanian.

“Both of us gave our heart on court today,” a beaming Gauff told the crowd. “Court two is a really, really nice court and I like that it’s intimate as you can hear every gasp and every cheer.

“First round is always tough for me as it’s the most nerve racking, but if I lose I know it’s not the end of the world.”

The 18-year-old American is the youngest player in the singles draw and after her runner-up finish at the French Open this month, many are tipping her to go all the way at the All England Club.

However, when she lost the opening seven points against Ruse, including surrendering her serve to love, her father and coach Corey could be seen frowning on a sun-soaked court two.

When Gauff went on to earn and lose four break points in Ruse’s opening service game, it set the tone for a frustrating afternoon for her family.

The popular teenager, who captured the world’s attention when she made it to the Wimbledon fourth round as a 15-year-old schoolgirl in 2019, finally got a foothold in the match when she broke for a 4-2 lead in the second set before levelling at one set all.

The 24-year-old Ruse fought back from 3-1 down in the final set to level at 3-3, but Gauff clung on despite continuing to misfire on break points. She needed six of them to break Ruse’s resolve in the 11th game of the decider and secured victory when her opponent whipped a forehand wide.

World No 1 Iga Swiatek recovered from a dip in her level in the second set to see off Croatian qualifier Jana Fett 6-0 6-3 and extend her winning run to 36 matches.

The 2018 junior champion, who exited the grass court Grand Slam in the fourth round last year, had the honour of opening the second day’s play on centre court in the absence of the retired Ash Barty, who won the 2021 title.

Despite a stiff breeze swirling through the main show court, Poland’s Swiatek powered through the opening set without losing a game — registering a 6-0 set for the 17th time this year.

Feisty Australian Kyrgios came through a five-set first-round thriller against British wild card Paul Jubb as his fearsome serve eventually overpowered the 22-year-old 3-6 6-1 7-5 6-7(3) 7-5.

Kyrgios is always a crowd-puller but his usual antics did not receive their usual Wimbledon appreciation this year with a home hope in the shape of 219th-ranked Jubb, who had never won a Tour-level match, on the other side of the net.

The Briton showed admirable cool as Kyrgios went through his usual range of complaints to umpire and fans and stood toe to toe in an even match, producing an excellent tiebreak to take it into a fifth set.

Kyrgios’ serve, however, held up well in the decider and, despite a few wobbles, he had just enough to come through. 

Reuters