Coco Gauff is fresh off her first French Open championship and second Grand Slam title. Who will she have to beat to win on the grass courts of Wimbledon?
The world’s most prestigious tennis tournament will take place over the next two weeks. It’s where Gauff had her breakout moment back in 2019, when the 15-year-old from Delray Beach stunned her idol Venus Williams in the first round. The South Florida teen made it all the way to the fourth round before falling to eventual champion Simona Halep.
At 21, Gauff is now a full-fledged star, winning the 2023 U.S. Open and the 2025 French Open earlier this month. She’s No. 2 in the WTA rankings, the highest point in her career, and was the U.S. flag-bearer at the 2024 Olympics. But that debut performance still marks the farthest she’s ever gone at Wimbledon, as grass has been her toughest surface.
Gauff is 24-11 on grass since making her run through qualifying at Wimbledon 2019 without a single tournament victory. That .686 winning percentage is close to her .698 percentage on hard surfaces, but she’s also picked up eight of her 10 career tournament wins on hard courts.
The farthest she’s gotten in a grass tournament is the semifinals in 2022 at Berlin, 2023 at Eastbourne and 2024 at Berlin. In her only tournament since winning at Roland Garros, Gauff lost her first match at the Berlin Open in straight sets to Xinyu Wang, the 33rd-ranked player in the world who has never made it past the Round of 16 at a major.
Gauff is the No. 2 seed at Wimbledon 2025, and her daily schedule is now known after the Wimbledon draw. If she is to shake off that rust and storm her way to the Wimbledon final, here’s who she will likely have to beat:
Wimbledon dates: When does Wimbledon start?
The main draw for Wimbledon 2025 begins Monday, June 30. Qualifying began June 23. The women’s final will take place Saturday, July 12, with the men’s final set for Sunday, July 13.
Coco Gauff’s path to Wimbledon final
Though she is the No. 2 seed, Coco Gauff has a tricky path to the Wimbledon final. She opens against Dayana Yastremska, the 42nd-ranked player in the world who made the final June 22 at the Nottingham Open. Her second-round opponent would be either qualifier Anastasia Zakharova or Victoria Azarenka, the two-time Australian Open champion who made the Round of 16 at Wimbledon as recently as 2023.
Gauff is lined up to face No. 8 Iga Swiatek, against whom she is 4-11 in her career, in the quarterfinal, and could face fellow Americans Jessica Pegula or Emma Navarro in the semifinal.
Here’s a look at the highest-seeded players Gauff would face on her way to the final, along with their WTA ranking:
When is Coco Gauff’s next match?
Coco Gauff faces Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in the first round of Wimbledon 2025 on Monday, June 30. The match’s start time will be determined later. Coverage on ESPN runs from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET each day of the tournament.
Wimbledon 2025 schedule
Here’s a look at the schedule for the men’s and women’s singles tournaments at Wimbledon 2025:
Where to watch Wimbledon 2025
Wimbledon matches will air on ESPN with streaming available on ESPN+.
Watch Wimbledon live on ESPN+
Coco Gauff Wimbledon history
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Here’s Coco Gauff’s path to a Wimbledon championship
Reporting by Dan Rorabaugh, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
