Coco Gauff’s quest for the crown takes a detour through heartbreak. On Tuesday, the No. 2 seed suffered a tough loss to Dayana Yastremska. Expectations were sky-high for the 2025 French Open champion, who ousted top seed Aryna Sabalenka in Paris and was eyeing a “Channel Slam” — winning both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. But the world No. 42 had other plans, cruising to a straight-sets 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 victory. So, how’s Coco holding up?

It’s definitely a hard loss, especially after her first-round exit at the Berlin Open last week against Wang Xinyu. Before Wimbledon, she told USA TODAY Sports, “Mentally I’m really excited. Every time I come on these grounds I get so inspired so I’m really excited.” Still, the Venus Rosewater Dish remains out of reach for now. But Coco’s showing strength on the inside.

In her post-match press conference, she was honest and brave: “I’m trying to be positive. After the match I definitely was struggling in the locker room. I don’t like losing. I know my team is gonna tell me ‘you did well at Roland Garros. Don’t be so upset’. But I don’t really like losing. I feel a bit disappointed with how I showed up today.” Coco Gauff struggled with nine double faults and got broken four times. With the loss, she joined fellow top seeds Jessica Pegula and Zheng Qinwen in shocking first-round exits at the Grass Slam this year. That has to weigh on her.

She added, “I could’ve been a bit better in those tough tiebreaker moments. Especially after Roland Garros where I feel like I learned a lot in those tiebreakers. So yeah. Obviously I’m not gonna dwell on this too long, because I wanna do well at US Open.” The stats back her up.

At the 2025 French Open final, Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4. After dropping the first set tiebreak, she upped her service game, winning 65% of her service points in the second set compared to Sabalenka’s 35%. Her consistent play and return game, with a 58% success rate on returns throughout the tournament, helped her seize chances. Plus, winning her first Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open gives hope for more major titles ahead!

On the other hand, Coco knew Dayana would be a tough opponent from the start. And judging by the Ukrainian’s smile, she was just as happy to share the court with the World No. 2!

Coco Gauff’s Opponent reveals her relationship with the American

When the Wimbledon main draw dropped, the matchup between Coco Gauff and Dayana Yastremska immediately stood out—even with a 40-place gap in the respective rankings. After all, Yastremska made waves last year by storming into the Australian Open semifinals as a qualifier. This season, she’s been impressive on grass, finishing as the runner-up in Nottingham, and making it to the quarterfinals in Eastbourne.

The 25-year-old Ukrainian brought that momentum into Wimbledon, defying her 0-3 head-to-head record against Gauff. After the match, she said, “First thing I am going to say is that this court brings me a lot of nice memories because I played here at juniors finals on this court, so it gave me a lot of emotions.” She added with a smile, “I think it was a great match today. I was really on fire. I have even fire on my nails.” About facing Coco, she shared, “Playing against Coco [Gauff] is something special. I played her already three times, it’s 3-1 to her. So she is a great player and a great person. We have a very good relationship.”

Yastremska’s fearless play saw her slam backhand winners down the line to break for 4-2 in the first set. Though she stumbled serving out the set at 5-3 with a couple of double faults, she stayed composed. “I enjoy it a lot. These courts are made for the greatest players, so I am very grateful to be on this court. Thanks so much for your support,” she said, soaking in the moment.

Now, Yastremska gears up to face Anastasia Zakharova in the second round on Thursday, July 3. Meanwhile, Wimbledon’s “Day of Upsets” saw not only Coco Gauff’s exit but also No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula bow out alongside several ATP stars like Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and more! For all the drama and latest updates, catch every moment on EssentiallySports‘ 2025 Wimbledon Live Blog!