CORI “COCO” GAUFF’S incredible run at Wimbledon came to an end Monday at the All England Club with a round of 16 loss to Simona Halep, the former No. 1 who took the match in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Gauff, 15, exits the tournament along with No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who lost to American Alison Riske, on a “Manic Monday” that lived up to its name. No. 7 Halep used her experience to advance past Gauff and make it to the tournament’s quarterfinals for a third time in four years. Gauff struggled with her forehand and had 29 unforced errors, though she battled throughout. They exchanged points to start the first set, 2-2, before Romania’s Halep pulled away. Gauff went to the doctor during the second set and was given a tablet, prompting questions over if she was feeling sick, The Guardian reported. Gauff’s parents thought they’d be back home for Fourth of July celebrations, but instead the 15-year-old American sensation ranked 313th in the world tore her way through the early Wimbledon schedule. The youngest person to ever reach Wimbledon’s main draw knocked out Venus Williams, 6-4, 6-4, in the opening round and gushed about sharing the court with the superstar. Gauff advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Magdalena Rybarikova fueled in part by the teenager’s powerful serve. It was then she showed how much fight she has with a rollercoaster victory over Polona Hercog 3-6, 7-6, 7-5, in her first appearance at Center Court. Halep will play Zhang Shuai of China in the quarterfinal. Meanwhile, Alison Riske, a 29-year-old Pittsburgh native, came back from a loss in the first set to knock out No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, Monday. Barty is coming off a title at the French Open last month, her first Grand Slam singles title. Riske advanced to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career and defeated a top 5 ranked opponent for only the third time. Riske, ranked 55th, has already won two grass court titles this season during back-to-back weeks last month. She’ll face Serena Williams in the quarterfinal. Williams reached her 14th Wimbledon quarterfinal with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Carla Suarez Navarro. Nadal controlled rallies and limited mistakes, with only 10 unforced errors. The No. 2 ranked Nadal did not face a break point and won 78 percent of service points. Nadal will face Sam Querrey of the U.S. in the quarterfinals. Querry is ranked 65th. (SD-Agencies) |