Reigning Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff was dealt one of the toughest first-round assignments last week when Dayana Yastremska’s name was drawn next to hers.
Yastremska, a prodigious ball-striker, proved why it was such a tricky match-up, blasting 16 winners to six against the No.2 seed in one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far.
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And there have been plenty already after the first round alone; gone are four top-10 seeds from both the men’s and women’s singles draws as players struggle to adapt to the slick lawns.
Gauff, however, was the highest seed to exit, and Yastremska suddenly emerges as a seriously dangerous prospect in a wide-open women’s field.
“Obviously Cori is playing much better on clay court and hard court than on grass. I kind of felt a bit more priority on grass,” Yastremska reflected on the match-up.
“When I saw the draw, to be honest I didn't think about nothing. I didn't think that she won Roland Garros or that I lost to her three times. I received the draw, which is my power to go through, you know?
“[The result] means a good win. It means that I've done my job. I'm just proud of myself.”
Yastremska needed only one hour and 19 minutes to complete the 7-6(3) 6-1 win, helped by Gauff committing nine double faults amid 29 unforced errors.
Ranked 42nd, the Ukrainian was not far off a seeded position herself, and entered the tournament with impressive grasscourt form thanks to reaching the Nottingham final and Eastbourne quarters.
“I saw the draw and knew it would be a tough match for me,” Gauff lamented.
“Dayana played great. I felt like I wasn't playing terrible in some points, and she was hitting winners.
“I feel like this tournament [result] for me is also based off of my first-round match and my draw and having somebody that can strike the ball as well as she can is definitely difficult coming in.”
Gauff led the head-to-head 3-0, with all those meetings coming on clay. The most recent was in Madrid, at altitude, where Yastremska showed how dangerous she could be.
Gauff prevailed 0-6 6-2 7-5, but under the No.1 Court roof at Wimbledon she confronted an opponent perfectly suited to the conditions – and who possesses the game to go further this fortnight.
“I was actually on fire,” Yastremska smiled. “I really, really enjoyed playing on Court 1.
“I have good memories from this court, even though last year I lost there to Donna Vekic. I still have a nice memory. This court brings me a lot of energy. I really felt it today.”
Yastremska’s giant-killing capabilities are obvious, especially at Grand Slam level – never more so than when she powered to the Australian Open 2024 semifinals, beating Marketa Vondrouova, Emma Navarro and Victoria Azarenka along the way.
But with her win over Gauff, Wimbledon becomes the major tournament at which she has the best winning percentage, nearing 70.
No.1 Court was also where Yastremska appeared in the junior singles final in 2016 – demonstrating her early affection for grass – and where she made the fourth round on her women’s singles main-draw debut in 2019.
That year she beat Sofia Kenin, the 28th seed who looms as a potential third-round opponent.
“I feel pretty good on grass,” Yastremska declared. “I had a couple matches.”
She’s played nine this grasscourt season, to be exact, and won seven.
She’ll be hoping for an eighth when she faces Anastasia Zakharova next.