"Pop off then" - Coco Gauff and Madison Keys elated as fellow American Clervie Ngounoue wins girls' singles title at Wimbledon 2023
Coco Gauff and Madison Keys have shared their appreciation for compatriot Clervie Ngounoue after she won her maiden junior Grand Slam singles title at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
The No. 2 seed Ngounoue enjoyed a dominant run to the title, not dropping a single set en route to her victory. The American began her campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Hayu Kinoshita. She then defeated Isabelle Lacy and Rositsa Dencheva, losing only six games across both matches.
The 16-year-old faced her toughest challenge from seventh seed Sayaka Ishii in the quarterfinals. However, she edged past Ishii 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the semifinals, where she defeated Renata Jamrichova 6-0, 6-3.
On Sunday, July 16, she took on unseeded Nikola Bartunkova in the final. Bartunkova had defeated top seed Alina Korneeva to book her spot against the American.
Ngounoue was clinical in her performance, securing a 6-2, 6-2 victory and earning her maiden junior Wimbledon singles title. She continued the American dominance at the grasscourt Major, following in the footsteps of compatriot Liv Horde, the 2022 champion.
Coco Gauff took to social media and expressed her joy at Ngounoue's victory.
"YESSS @clervie_magloire," Gauff posted on her Instagram story with white heart emojis.
Madison Keys, too, shared her appreciation for the 16-year-old.
"Ok - Pop off then," Keys posted on her Instagram story.
How Coco Gauff and Madison Keys fared at Wimbledon 2023
Coco Gauff suffered an early exit from the 2023 Wimbledon Championships as she was upset by World No. 91 Sofia Kenin, who made her way to the main draw after battling through three qualifying rounds. Kenin defeated Gauff 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to record her 10th career win over a top 10 opponent.
Despite her disappointing singles outing at SW19, Gauff did enjoy success on the women's doubles side, alongside partner Jessica Pegula. Seeded second, the pair defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round. Subsequently, they beat Andrea Gamiz and Anastasia Detiuc before falling to Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, Madison Keys commenced her campaign at the grasscourt Major with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Sonay Kartal. She then defeated Viktorija Golubic and Marta Kostyuk in straight sets to advance to the fourth round.
She reached her second Wimbledon quarterfinal after edging past 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2. The American fell short of reaching the semifinals as she was defeated by second seed Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 4-6.