LONDON (AP) — Coco Gauff likes No. 1 Courtroom at Wimbledon.
It’s the place she beat Venus Williams again in 2019 when Gauff made her Wimbledon debut at age 15.
On Wednesday, Gauff beat qualifier Anca Todoni 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the third spherical on the All England Membership.
“That is the court docket the place I first began right here at Wimbledon. Courtroom 1 is all the time a particular place for me to play on,” the 20-year-old Gauff mentioned in her on-court interview.
The victory additionally permits Gauff, the No. 2 seed, to maneuver one other step away from final 12 months’s first-round exit.
“Total, I simply discovered about life rather a lot,” the U.S. Open champion mentioned when requested about placing that three-set loss to Sofia Kenin behind her.
“I simply realized that, sure, what I do I’m very captivated with, however it’s not ever that severe and typically the world could make you are feeling like there’s a lot strain, there’s a lot expectation,” she mentioned. “On the finish of the (day), it’s a sport. It’s sport.”
The 19-year-old Todoni is from Romania and was making her Grand Slam debut.
“I do suppose I may have performed cleaner at some moments,” Gauff mentioned.
5 years in the past, Gauff beat Williams — a five-time Wimbledon champion — 6-4, 6-4 within the first spherical and finally reached the final 16, all in her Grand Slam debut.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz trailed 6-5 within the first set Wednesday earlier than coming again to beat Aleksander Vukic 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-2, establishing a third-round assembly with No. 29 Frances Tiafoe after the American eradicated Borna Coric 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-3.
When instructed by the on-court interviewer that Tiafoe mentioned he’s “coming after you,” the 21-year-old Spaniard replied with a smile: “I’m going for him.”
“We performed a very good match within the U.S. Open,” the No. 3 seed mentioned of their 2022 semifinal that Alcaraz received at Flushing Meadows.
In different outcomes, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka was eradicated within the second spherical by No. 19 Emma Navarro by a rating of 6-4, 6-1, whereas No. 1 Jannik Sinner acquired previous 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (4) at Centre Courtroom in an all-Italian contest.
“I knew that I needed to increase my stage at this time,” Sinner mentioned. “He’s a grass-court specialist. … I’m very pleased how I dealt with the state of affairs.”
No. 11 Danielle Collins accomplished her first-round match — a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Clara Tauson. It had been suspended Tuesday evening at 4-4 within the second set.
No. 20 Beatriz Haddad Maia superior to the third spherical by beating Magdalena Frech 7-5, 6-3.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis