In what’s easily one of the greatest upsets in modern sporting history, 15-year-old American Cori Gauff has casually rocked up to her first-ever Wimbledon and knocked off the great Venus Williams in straight sets in the first round.
We repeat: A fifteen-year-old beat Venus Fucking Williams at Wimbledon. Holy SHIT.
[jwplayer 2u5ohSMw]
Gauff’s mere presence at this year’s tournament is something of a miracle; ranked 313 in the world, she forced her way into the tournament through the qualifiers. At fifteen years, one-hundred twenty-two days old, she is the youngest person to make it to the main Wimbledon draw in the professional era.
In a clinical display, Gauff mowed down Williams – who has won the tournament 5 times in the past – in just over an hour, taking a remarkable 6-4, 6-4 victory.
It gets even more remarkable when you consider just how wide the age gap between the two is. By the time Gauff was born in 2004 (TWO THOUSAND AND FOUR), Venus had already secured two Wimbledon titles and four other Grand Slam majors.
The round one matchup at Wimbledon happened to be just the third tour-level match Gauff has competed in in her short career. Conversely, Williams has played well over 1,000, with in excess of 100 coming at Wimbledon alone.
At 39, Williams was the tournament’s oldest and most experienced competitor. Gauff, who again is 15, was by far and away its youngest and freshest.
After securing the historic win, Williams gave Gauff a warm congratulations. In return, Gauff thanked her idol and said she “wouldn’t be here” without her.
“She [Venus Williams] said congratulations.”
“I told her thank you for everything that you did. I wouldn’t be here without you. I always wanted to tell her that.”
– @CocoGauff #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/lGUYiGnq3Q
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2019
Gauff’s parents were courtside for the historic win, and understandably lost their absolute shit after match point.
A sight we could be seeing a lot more of down the years…#Wimbledon | @CocoGauff pic.twitter.com/ogJGDenKKB
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2019
Huge. Absolutely huge. Hook this shit to me veins.
Gauff now progresses on to the second round, where she faces Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova, currently ranked 139 in the world.
