Damn, Coco!
I don’t remember what I was doing at 15, but it certainly wasn’t beating a five-time champion and former semi-finalist in succession, which is exactly what Cori “Coco” Gauff has done here at Wimbledon.
Beating first Venus Williams, and now Magdalena Rybarikova, her performance so far is undeniably the story of the tournament. Even her hero Serena Williams wasn’t balling-out at such a young age, and regardless of whether she goes out in the next round, or wins the whole tournament, this heralds incredibly bright things for her future.
Here’s your three to see on day 4 at Wimbledon:
Johanna Konta (GBR) [19] v Katerina Siniakova (CZE) – Second on Centre Court
Trying to become the first British women’s Wimbledon champion since 1977, Jo Konta has had something of a mixed history at her home major, but after storming to the Roland Garros finals with arguably the best tennis of her career, she seems primed to make a run once more. However, before she goes anywhere this fortnight, she’s going to have to deal with the tricky Katerina Siniakova, who dealt Naomi Osaka her knockout blow at Roland Garros, and won their only previous career meeting two years ago in Shenzhen. With that in mind, Siniakova should prove a tough customer here, and while the surface is certainly more conducive to Konta hitting through the Czech, the latter’s tenacious defending could make this a longer afternoon than the home favourite is expecting.
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) v Rafael Nadal (ESP) [3] – Third on Centre Court
I believe it was the great Wimbledon champion William Renshaw who first said: “It’s on like Donkey Kong”, and that expression could not be more fitting here. An actual, honest-to-goodness grudge match, Rafa Nadal would like nothing more than to put Nick Kyrgios in his place after their fiery encounter in Acapulco, and Kyrgios would love nothing more than to troll him with another victory. That said, this is definitely Nadal’s match to lose, and it’s entirely possible he does it in three straight bagels, but between Kyrgios’ underhand serves, potential to catch fire, and icy post-match handshake, you should definitely be watching regardless.
Matteo Berrettini (ITA) [17] v Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) – Fourth on No. 2 Court
In his prime one of the most entertaining players on tour, it’s sad to see Marcos Baghdatis’ career come to an end here at Wimbledon, but maybe he can leave with one more upset. Certainly he has his work cut-out for him, as 17th seed Matteo Berrettini has proven to be more than a clay court specialist in recent weeks, beating Felix Auger-Aliassime to take the title on the grass of Stuttgart. A Wimbledon semi-finalist himself, Baghdatis certainly knows how to play on the surface, and against Berrettini, we should be treated to a match that sees every inch of the court covered over the course of the match. Indeed, whether Baghdatis pulls out the victory is almost beside the point, he’s going to entertain, and if this is his last match, we should be there to enjoy it.
