Wimbledon 2019: 15-year-old Cori Gauff makes history by defeating idol Venus Williams
15-year-old American Cori Gauff made history last week by becoming the youngest player to qualify for the Wimbledon main draw.
Last night, she went on to make another entry in the record books, when she took to the court against countrywoman Venus Williams.
Gauff went on to defeat Venus, the oldest player in this year's Wimbledon, in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. In the process, she also became the youngest player since 1991 to win a ladies' singles first-round match.
Right from the start of the match, Gauff showed a sense of maturity, confidence, and grit. She used all of this and more to counter Williams' baseline power. Venus was clearly surprised by the level at which Gauff was performing, managing to break the teenager's serve just once over the course of the match.
That break in the 2nd set leveled proceedings at 4-4, but Gauff, as she had done throughout the match, wrested back control. She broke again for 5-4 and saved a break point in the final game to serve out the match and make history in the process.
Both players shook hands and congratulated each other at the net, following which Gauff broke down immediately. Later, in the post-match interview, she revealed her admiration for Venus, saying:
"I told her thank you for everything that you did. I wouldn’t be here without you. I always wanted to tell her that."
However, last night's result was not really a surprise. Gauff has been steadily rising through the ranks the last couple of years, having previously made a name for herself on the junior circuit.
She was the youngest US Open junior finalist in history in 2017, at the age of just 13. Gauff also won the French Open junior title in 2018 at age 14, becoming the second youngest champion at Roland Garros after Martina Hingis.
It is clear that Gauff is destined for greatness, but only time will tell what heights she eventually manages to scale.