In the amphitheater of Centre Court, Wimbledon, Coco Gauff’s journey has met with a roadblock once again. Existing reverberations of cheering fans and the classical rustle of Wimbledon whites were replaced by a heavy cloak of unease as Emma Navarro dominated the all-American match-up, compellingly earning her set scores of 6-4 and 6-3.
Gauff languished once again at the fourth round, the furthest she has reached in this historic venue. The reigning U.S. Open champion and second-seeded player at the famed All England Club sought guidance, her gaze reaching out to her coaches, including Brad Gilbert, in an attempt to rectify her game plan. To no avail, Navarro’s relentless onslaught allowed no time to recalibrate her strategy. Gauff’s acknowledging frustration was evident.
The failure of top-seeded women echoed ominously at Wimbledon this year, with No.1 Iga Swiatek’s defeat the previous day and both No.3 Aryna Sabalenka’s shoulder injury withdrawal and No.6 Marketa Vondrousova’s first-round defeat. Only Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, seeded No. 4 and 7 respectively, still stand within the ten highest-seeded women.
Opponent Navarro, the 19th seed, makes her debut in the quarterfinals of this major league, riding a wind of confidence that originated from her victory against four-time major champion Naomi Osaka. Her mantra, “Why not me? Why not?”, engraved in digital ink in her phone’s notes, focuses her ambition and marked her victory over Gauff.
This South Carolinian native, and 2021 NCAA champion in her debut year at the University of Virginia, exploited Gauff’s growing frustration and capitalized on her unforced errors, hitting to her weakness, driving that confidence boost into a persuasive competitive edge.
Gauff, a French Open runner-up, and an Australian Open semi-finalist, despite savouring victory against Venus Williams as the youngest qualifier in history at the age of 15, has yet to taste the triumph of advancing beyond the fourth round in Wimbledon.
Under Sunday’s cloudy skies, Gauff faltered as 25 unforced errors shadowed her 12 winners. Navarro, unrelenting, focused her fire on Gauff’s forehand, racking up a total of 32 points from forced and unforced errors against the Floridian.
In the aftermath, Gauff acknowledged her lack of agility to elevate her game in response to her opponent’s prowess. Despite previous successful mid-match advice from her coaches, the trinity lacked sync this time around. Gauff conceded that in tennis, the game ultimately lands within one’s own court, and the responsibility for the outcome rests principally on the player.
It’s a lesson and a match that Gauff and her fans will certainly carry forward.
