Coco Gauff of the USA reacts after losing a point against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in their women's singles first round match at the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England, July 1, 2025. /VCG

Coco Gauff pledged to do things differently next time, after crashing out of Wimbledon in the first round on Tuesday. The stunning early exit comes just weeks after her inspiring victory at the French Open.

The second-seeded American was beaten 7-6(3), 6-1 by 42nd-ranked Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.

Gauff, who has won two major titles, was expected to make a strong run at the All England Club after her triumph at Roland-Garros in June. But instead of building on her success from Paris, the 21-year-old endured her earliest Grand Slam exit since another first-round loss at Wimbledon in 2023.

Yastremska powered to victory in 78 minutes, with Gauff joining third-seeded compatriot Jessica Pegula and fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen of China as high-profile departures from the tournament on a day of shocks.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards (following the French Open triumph), so I didn't feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it," said Gauff. "But it's the first time in this experience of, like, coming off a win and having to play Wimbledon. I definitely learned a lot of what I would and would not do again."

Gauff has failed to get past the round of 16 in each of her six visits to Wimbledon. She paid the price for an unusually error-strewn display that featured nine double-faults, 29 unforced errors, and just six winners.

Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek of Poland beat Polina Kudermetova of Russia 7-5, 6-1, advancing to the second round with a solid performance. The World No. 4 faced a challenging first set, but managed to seize control of the contest in its latter stages, taking eight of the last nine games.

This victory marked Swiatek's 61st consecutive win in opening matches, setting the record for the longest streak by any woman this century. She is set to face the USA's Caty McNally, who comfortably dispatched local wildcard Jodie Burrage in straight sets.

Source: CGTN