Coco Gauff sealed her spot in the last 32 at Wimbledon with a straightforward victory over qualifier Anca Todoni.
The second seed eased her way to a 6-2, 6-1, triumph over the Romanian to become the first woman to seal their place in the third round in this year’s draw. Gauff’s powerful ball striking proved too much for the opponent as she hit 13 winners. She also capitalised on Todoni’s erratic play with the underdog hitting 23 unforced errors.
“I am happy with how I played,” said Gauff.
“I do think I could have played cleaner at some moments but overall I’m happy to get through to the third round.”
Unlike her peers, Gauff had the luxury of playing on Court One which has a roof to protect her from the rain at an overcast All England Club. Matches at the Grand Slam didn’t get underway until 1pm local time due to bad weather, which was two hours later than scheduled before being halted again. A nightmare situation for organisers who aim to complete 48 singles matches on Wednesday, as well as doubles.
Nevertheless, the weather conditions failed to have any impact on Gauff, who had every answer to the questions asked of her from world No.142 Todoni. A player who was participating in only the second grasscourt tournament of her entire career. In the fourth game, the American was taken to deuce four times and saved two break points before holding for a 3-1 lead. At times serving and footwork were minor issues for Gauff but she still managed to seal the opener in under 40 minutes.
Continuing her momentum into the second frame, Gauff broke right at the start after a Todoni shot crashed into the net. Luck was also on her side after she hit a lob in the air that went through the roof structure but didn’t touch it which would have lost her the point. Cruising towards the finish line, closed out proceedings on her first match point with the help of a Todini error.
“I think overall I just learned about life a lot, I guess that’s what you do when you get older. Sometimes the world can make you feel like there is so much pressure.” She reflected afterwards about coping with the limelight.
“This court is where I first started Wimbledon so it is always special to me,” Gauff added.
Wednesday’s victory is Gauff’s 180th tour-level win and her 20th on the grass. She is bidding to become the first American to win Wimbledon since Serena Williams in 2016.
Gauff has dropped only six games in two matches played at the tournament so far.
