Fifteen-year-old Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff pulled off an upset victory over her idol Venus Williams in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships this year, defeating the veteran 6-4, 6-4. This was Gauff’s first Grand Slam match.
Williams, now 39 years old, is a five-time champion at this tournament, picking up two of those wins even before Gauff was born. It was only the second time since Williams' Wimbledon debut in 1997 that she was beaten in the first round of the tournament.
Gauff began playing tennis at the age of six. Before committing to tennis full-time, she competed in track and basketball. She won the U12 USTA Clay Court Nationals tournament in 2014 and, in 2016, captured the Girls’ 12s Junior Orange Bowl.
In 2017, Gauff was the youngest-ever finalist in the girls’ singles event at the US Open. She was defeated 6-0, 6-2, by Amanda Anisimova, who was a semi-finalist at this year’s French Open.
A year later, Gauff won the Junior’s title at the French Open, becoming the second-youngest to do so. At this year’s Wimbledon, she became the youngest player in the Open Era to qualify for the main draw of the tournament. She is currently ranked 313 th in the world.
Gauff is coached by her dad Corey, who played collegiate basketball for the Georgia State Panthers. Her mom, Candi, was an elite 110-metre hurdler.
