Coco Gauff Triumphs at Wimbledon 2024: Dominates Caroline Dolehide in First Round
Coco Gauff began her campaign with a dominant performance against Caroline Dolehide, winning 6-1, 6-2 after a heartbreaking loss at Wimbledon the previous year.
One year after losing at the first hurdle at the All England Club, the current US Open champion easily defeated Dolehide to start her quest for a fourth consecutive major semifinal.
After a heartbreaking loss to Caroline Dolehide in the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, Coco Gauff bounced back on Monday, defeating her 6-1, 6-2. Gauff remarked about the court, “Last year, I lost first round here, and it was a very tough moment for me.” “I’m a little bit emotional because it’s been a long year but it’s incredible how I was able to turn it around.”
Gauff made her tennis debut in 2019 when she defeated Venus Williams to go to the fourth round. However, a year ago, she lost to Sofia Kenin at the first hurdle in the SW19 tournament.
After the loss, Gauff reorganized her squad and brought in coach Brad Gilbert, a move that catalyzed a winning streak that culminated in her first major title at the US Open and a new level of Grand Slam consistency. After defeating Dolehide in 64 minutes on Center Court, the No. 2 seed started her quest for a fourth consecutive semifinal.
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For the second time this year, the two were competing at a major. Gauff had defeated Dolehide at the Australian Open, where she had gone on a 12-match Grand Slam run that ended in the semifinals against eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Due to shoulder problems, Sabalenka and her anticipated opponent Victoria Azarenka, who is ranked fourth in the rankings, were both forced to withdraw from the Championships. As a result, the 20-year-old appeared on court even more of a favorite to advance far in the one major where she hasn’t advanced past the semifinals.
Gauff, fresh off a strong run at the Bad Homburg Open presented by Solarwatt, looked comfortable as she easily won the first set and took a 4-0 lead in the second. After battling the yips during the clay-court season, she put up impressive serve statistics, falling only three points short of her opening serve of the match.
Dolehide, who made her WTA debut last autumn when she advanced to her first 1000-level final in Guadalajara, fought valiantly in the closing moments of the match, breaking serve for the first time to take the lead and holding to close the gap even further.
Instead of getting tighter in response, Gauff grew more powerful, holding for 5-2 and securing a match point on Dolehide’s usually strong serve. When Gauff overpressed off the forehand side, Dolehide saved one, but the No. 2 seed wasn’t going to be stopped. She swiftly created a second match point and converted to secure her place in the second round.
Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni, who defeated fortunate loser Olga Danilovic in straight sets earlier on Monday, will be waiting for her.
