Coco lost to Halep today, but also won as she captured the hearts of tennis fans worldwide.
The night before the final qualifying Wimbledon matches, 15-year old Cori “Coco” Gauff was taking a science test. A short time later, she became the biggest name at Wimbledon after three straight wins.
Memories of Jennifer Capriati’s memorable start to her career came roaring back to tennis fans as they watched Gauff advance past Venus Williams, Magdalena Rybarikova, and Polona Hercog. Could she do it? Could the young Coco duplicate history and reach the quarterfinals like Capriati did in 1990?
Unfortunately for Coco and her fans, her amazing run at Wimbledon came to an end today as she lost to Simona Halep, 6-3. 6-3.
Yet despite the loss, Coco became a fan favorite, evidenced by fans chanting “Come on Coco!” during the match and then giving her a standing ovation as she exited the court after the loss.
The No.1 Court crowd rises to acknowledge all the excitement @CocoGauff has given us 🤗
And remember – this is just the beginning… #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/UBiOYSxPeU
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2019
“If somebody told me this maybe three weeks ago, I probably wouldn’t believe it,” said an emotional Gauff. “I think just putting in the work definitely raised my confidence because I knew how hard I worked and I knew what shots I could make and what was possible.
“I’m super proud of myself,” she continued. “I’m excited to see what I’ll do at the US Open and the next couple tournaments coming up.”
And everyone else is just as excited to see what your bright future has in store for you, Coco.
