Top Seed Navarro Finds Feet on Grass, Four Other Americans Advance on First Day of Wimbledon Junior Championships; Wild Card Story Defeats No. 2 Seed Forejtek; Sandgren, Querrey, Williams and Riske Reach Second Week

©Colette Lewis 2019--
Wimbledon--

The top three seeds in the girls draw posted routine wins as play began Saturday at the Wimbledon Junior Championships, but the boys No. 2 and No. 3 seeds were knocked out under the cloudy afternoon skies at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

No. 1 seed Emma Navarro defeated Diana Shnaider of Russia 6-0, 6-2, needing only 15 minutes to run through the first set. It was a welcome result for the 18-year-old Duke recruit, who lost in the first round of the Roehampton Grade 1 last week.

"It was my first match on grass in like two years," Navarro said of her 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 loss to qualifier Sasha Hill of Great Britain. "And it was my second time ever playing on grass....She definitely knew how to play on grass, she was a tough, but I wasn't disappointed in how I played. I knew there were a few things I could work on this past week, and I went out there and tried my best to improve those things and I think I did, so I felt a lot better coming into this tournament."

The courts at Roehampton do have their share of bad bounces, and with the Roehampton junior tournament coming directly after the courts there were used for Wimbledon qualifying, the contrast with the pristine courts at the All England Club is one reason Navarro felt she could rebound from her early exit last week.  Another was Navarro's slice, which Shnaider had difficulty reading and countering, even in the more competitive second set.

"Last week that was definitely a thing that I thought I could improve, was mixing in slices," Navarro said. "Today that was kind of the priority, to use my slice."

Since winning the Easter Bowl ITF at the end of March, Navarro has made her WTA debut at the Volvo Open in her hometown of Charleston, made the semifinals of a $100,000 ITF World Tennis Tour event, also in Charleston, and reached the final of the French Open Junior Championships, while claiming the doubles title in Paris. Now No. 4 in the ITF World Junior rankings, Navarro has had a productive and gratifying three months.

"A very busy spring, but super exciting, I thought," Navarro said. "I've made a lot of progress in the last few months. It was super exciting for me, having those experiences and getting to play on bigger stages. It's inspiring and motivating, warming up next to pros that you see on TV all the time. When you see them in person, it seems like a level you can get to and it's not so far away."

No. 2 seed Maria Osorio Serrano of Colombia did not play at all on grass prior to her first round match today at Wimbledon, but she came through with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Mell Reasco Gonzalez of Ecuador. No. 3 seed Qinwen Zheng of China, who like Navarro lost in the first round last week at Roehampton, again drew the girl who beat here there, Thasaporn Naklo of Thailand. But Zheng was ready for Naklo today, earning a 6-0, 6-2 win in 47 minutes.

Top boys seed and French Champion Holger Rune of Denmark does not play until Monday, but No. 2 seed Jonas Forejtek and No. 3 seed Thiago Tirante of Argentina have already been eliminated. Tirante, a finalist at the Milan Grade A in May, lost to  Carlos Gimeno Valero of Spain 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4. Forejtek, the champion in Milan, fell to wild card James Story of Great Britain 6-4, 7-6(3), in front of a typically supportive Wimbledon crowd.

"I think grass favors me," said the 18-year-old, who has signed with the University of Memphis and begins school there in August. "It really suits my game. I know Jonas is a very good claycourter, so I went into the match with good belief that I could beat him, even though he's the No. 2 seed. I thought with the help of the British crowd, if I just kept the energy high, he would feel the pressure and maybe crack, and I think that's what happened."

Story said he was able to forget about losing a 4-1 lead in the second set.

"A couple double faults, a couple of good returns by him and we went all the way to the tiebreak, but I served well and returned well in the tiebreak," Story said. "And I'm thankful I took that backhand [down the] line on match point."

As Story surveyed the crowd after that backhand winner on his first match point, he saw not only smiles, but tears too.

"There were a lot of familiar faces around the court, and of course my family was there as well," Story said. "Mum and dad, my coach, my sister, my sister's fiance, so yeah, I was really pleased and proud. It was a good feeling winning, definitely. Seeing my mum in tears at the end, it was nice. I think I made her proud."

No. 4 seed Martin Damm let a 6-2, 5-2 lead slip away against Italian Francesco Passaro of Italy, but the 15-year-old recovered for a 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-4 win. Damm's doubles partner Toby Kodat, the No. 7 seed, was not as fortunate, with Tristan Schoolkate of Australia winning the final five games of the match for a 6-0, 7-5 win. Kodat was ill last month and had to withdraw from Roehampton, so the French Open finalist had just a few days of practice to acclimate himself to the grass. Emilio Nava suffered an injury at Roehampton and had to withdraw, which is why there is no No. 9 seed in the boys draw, and why a number 17 seed was added.

Govind Nanda, who is back on the ITF Junior Circuit this summer after a semester at UCLA, defeated North Carolina incoming freshman Rinky Hijikata of Australia 6-2, 7-5.

"He's quick and he likes coming forward also," said Nanda, who lost in the first round at Roehampton. "So he's difficult to defend on grass. He has good volleys, so it's tough. So my main strategy was to make first serves and then really go after the returns, try to attack."

Abigail Forbes closed out a 4-1 day for American juniors with a 6-2, 6-7(8), 6-3 win over Liubov Kostenko of Ukraine. The incoming UCLA freshman had been 0-4 in junior slams before today's win.

The junior doubles draws have been released with Forejtek and Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic the top boys seeds. Damm and Kodat are seeded No. 3 and Nanda and Liam Draxl of Canada are seeded No. 7.

France's Diane Parry and Zheng are the top seeds in the girls doubles draw. Alexa Noel and her partner Helene Pellicano of Malta are the No. 5 seeds, with Navarro and Chloe Beck, the French champions, the No. 7 seeds. Hurricane Tyra Black and her partner Shavit Kimchi of Israel are the No. 8 seeds.

Saturday's first round junior results featuring Americans:

Govind Nanda d. Rinky Hijikata(AUS) 6-2, 7-5
Tristan Schoolkate(AUS) d. Toby Kodat[7] 6-0, 7-5
Martin Damm[4] d. Francesco Passaro(ITA) 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-4

Emma Navarro[1] d. Diana Shnaider(RUS) 6-0, 6-2
Abigail Forbes d. Liubov Kostenko(UKR) 6-2, 6-7(8), 6-3

After today's third round matches, three US women and two US men have advanced to the second week. Along with Coco Gauff, who won yesterday, Serena Williams and Alison Riske earned places in Monday's round of 16. Sam Querrey and Tennys Sandgren will play for a spot in the quarterfinals, also on Monday. Results from today's third round singles matches featuring Americans:

Sam Querrey d. John Millman(AUS) 7-6(3), 7-6(8), 6-3
Tennys Sandgren d. Fabio Fognini(ITA)[12] 6-3, 7-6(12), 6-3
Kei Nishikori(JPN)[8] d. Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Serena Williams[11] d. Julia Goerges(GER)[18] 6-3, 6-4
Alison Riske d. Belinda Bencic(SUI)[13] 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Carla Suarez Navarro(ESP)[30] d. Lauren Davis[LL] 6-3, 6-3
Johanna Konta(GBR)[19] d. Sloane Stephens[9] 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

June Aces; Gauff Saves Match Points, Advances to Second Week; Five Americans Qualify for Wimbledon Junior Championships; Noel Falls in Roehampton Grade 1 Final

Before we get to all the news on the grass courts of London, here's my look back at the best junior and collegiate performances of June for the Tennis Recruiting Network. From the French Open Junior Championships to the many titles by current collegians, June produced 19 highlights, with back-to-back titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour one of month's themes.

Photo credit: AELTC/Ian Walton

Qualifier Coco Gauff has again stolen the Wimbledon headlines, with the 15-year-old saving two match points in her 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 victory over Polona Hercog of Slovenia Friday evening in London. Gauff saved a match point serving at 3-6, 2-5 and another in the next game with Hercog serving at 5-3. She plays Simona Halep of Romania on Monday in the round of 16, but before that, she has a mixed doubles match with Great Britain's Jay Clarke on Saturday. For more on Gauff's exciting win today, see this article from the WTA website.

Friday's match results for Americans:

Milos Raonic(CAN)[15] d. Reilly Opelka 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-1

Coco Gauff[Q] d. Polona Hercog(SLO) 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-5
Petra Martic(CRO)[24] d. Danielle Collins 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

Five Americans advanced to the Wimbledon Junior Championships main draw with straight-sets wins in the final round of qualifying today at Roehampton. Incoming Georgia Tech freshman Andres Martin[16] defeated No. 6 seed Andrew Paulson of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2; Andrew Dale downed British wild card Connor Thomson 6-3, 6-3; Charlotte Owensby[12] defeated No. 3 seed Giulia Morlet of France 6-3, 6-2; Alexandra Yepifanova[14] beat wild card Holly Staff of Great Britain 6-0, 6-1 and Katrina Scott[5] defeated Jiangxue Han[9] of China 6-1, 6-2. Although Will Grant[11] lost to No. 8 seed Natan Rodrigues of Brazil 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, he received entry into the boys draw as a lucky loser, giving the US 21 players in the boys and girls singles draws.

Thirty junior singles matches are on Saturday's schedule, but only five of the 21 Americans will be playing on the first day. Girls top seed Emma Navarro heads that group. Below are the Americans in singles action on Saturday:

Sam Querrey v John Millman(AUS)
Tennys Sandgren v Fabio Fognini(ITA)[12]
Steve Johnson v Kei Nishikori(JPN)[8]
Serena Williams[11] v Julia Goerges(GER)
Alison Riske v Belinda Bencic(SUI)[13]
Lauren Davis[LL] v Carla Suarez Navarro(ESP)[30]
Sloane Stephens[9] v Johanna Konta(GBR)[19]

Juniors:
Govind Nanda v Rinky Hijikata(AUS)
Toby Kodat[7] v Tristan Schoolkate(AUS)
Martin Damm[4] v Francesco Passaro(ITA)

Emma Navarro[1] v Diana Shnaider(RUS)
Abigail Forbes v Liubov Kostenko(UKR)

After winning three of the four titles last year at the ITF Grade 1 in Roehampton (including Gauff's win over Caty McNally in the girls final), Americans could muster just one today, with Elli Mandlik taking the girls doubles title with partner Marta Custic of Spain. The pair beat Kamilla Bartone of Latvia and Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia 5-7, 7-6(4), 10-3 in the final.

No. 8 seed Alexa Noel lost to Daria Snigur of Ukraine 6-1, 6-2 in the girls singles final and Eliot Spizzirri and Tyler Zink lost in the boys doubles final, going out to Jacob Fearnley and Connor Thomson of Great Britain 1-6, 6-3, 11-9.

Gauthier Onclin of Belgium won the boys singles title, with the No. 14 seed beating No. 11 seed Liam Draxl of Canada 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Noel Reaches Grade 1 Roehampton Final; 15 US Junior in Wimbledon Main Draw with Seven More Americans Advancing to Final Round of Qualifying; Davis Surprises Defending Champion Kerber

Alexa Noel has advanced to the final of the Roehampton ITF Grade 1, advancing when No. 5 seed Hurricane Tyra Black retired trailing 6-4 in today's semifinal. Noel, seeded eighth, will play No. 15 seed Daria Snigur of Ukraine, after Snigur defeated No. 3 seed Diana Parry of France 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-2.  The boys final will feature No. 11 seed Liam Draxl of Canada against No. 14 seed Gauthier Onclin of Belgium, both of whom came from a set down in the semifinals. Draxl defeated Valentin Royer of France 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 and Onclin took out top seed and French Open boys champion Holger Rune of Denmark 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.

Unseeded Eliot Spizzirri and Tyler Zink have advanced to the boys doubles final, beating the unseeded team of Nicholas Ionel of Romania and Peter Makk of Hungary 6-1, 6-4 in today's semifinals. They will play the unseeded British team of Jacob Fearnley and Connor Thomson, who beat No. 2 seeds Rune and Shintaro Mochizuki of Japan 7-6(8), 6-1.  Elli Mandlik has reached the girls doubles final, with her partner Marta Custic of Spain. The pair will face Kamilla Bartone of Latvia and Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia in another final between unseeded teams.

Fifteen Americans--seven boys and eight girls--are already in the main draw of the Wimbledon Junior Championships, which begin Saturday, with possibly seven more, who are in Friday's final round of qualifying at Roehampton.

Emma Navarro is the top seed in the girls draw, with the other seven US girls Elli Mandlik, Savannah Broadus, Robin Montgomery, Hurricane Tyra Black[5], Abigail Forbes, Alexa Noel and Chloe Beck. 

There are three US players seeded in the boys draw--Martin Damm[4], Toby Kodat[7] and Brandon Nakashima[6]--plus Govind Nanda, Cannon Kingsley, Tyler Zink and Eliot Spizzirri.

The seven Americans through to the final round of qualifying are: Andrew Dale, Andres Martin[16], Dali Blanch[7], Will Grant [11], Charlotte Ownensby[12], Alexandra Yepifanova[14] and Katrina Scott.

A lot went on at Wimbledon today, with Serena Williams taken to three sets by teen qualifier Kaja Juvan of Slovenia, Amanda Anisimova[25] and John Isner[9] losing, and Tennys Sandgren defeating No. 20 seed Gilles Simon of France 8-6 in the fifth, not to mention Nadal vs Kyrgios. But lucky loser Lauren Davis was the real star of the day, defeating No. 5 seed and defending champion Angelique Kerber of Germany 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. For a complete description of what Davis told WTA Insider was "probably my biggest win of my career,"  see this article from the WTA website.

Thursday’s second round results featuring Americans:

Serena Williams[11] d. Kaja Juvan(SLO)[Q] 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
Lauren Davis[LL] d. Angelique Kerber(GER)[5] 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
Sloane Stephens[9] d. Yafan Wang(CHN) 6-0, 6-2
Magda Linette(POL) d. Amanda Anisimova[25] 6-4, 7-5
Kiki Bertens(NED)[4] d. Taylor Townsend 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2
Alison Riske d. Ivana Jorovic (SRB) 6-2, 6-7(3), 9-7

Mikhail Kukushkin(KAZ) d. John Isner[9] 6-4, 6-7(3), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Steve Johnson d. Alex De Minaur(AUS)[24] 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Sam Querrey d. Andrey Rublev(RUS) 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Jan-Lennard Struff(GER)[33] d. Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(2)
Tennys Sandgren d. Gilles Simon(FRA)[20] 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 8-6

Friday's second round matches featuring Americans:

Reilly Opelka v Milos Raonic(CAN)[15]

Coco Gauff[Q] v Polona Hercog(SLO)
Danielle Collins v Petra Martic(CRO)[24]

Gauff Wins Again to Reach Wimbledon Third Round; Noel and Black Meet in Roehampton Grade 1 Semis; Wimbledon Junior Qualifying Features Eight Americans; Dougherty New Maryland Women's Coach; Nevolo Takes Over at SMU

 Coco Gauff won again Wednesday at Wimbledon, with the 15-year-old qualifier following up her first round win Monday over Venus Williams with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia, a former Wimbledon semifinalist today. Gauff, who has yet to lose a set in her five matches in this historic run, will next play unseeded Polona Hercog of Slovenia, who defeated No. 17 seed Madison Keys 6-2, 6-4.  For more on Gauff's win, see this article from the Wimbledon website.

Danielle Collins came from 6-4, 3-0 down to No. 12 seed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and 2015 Wimbledon boys champion Reilly Opelka outlasted No. 22 seed Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 8-6.

Wednesday's second round results featuring Americans:

Novak Djokovic(SRB)[1] d. Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Reilly Opelka d. Stan Wawrinka(SUI)[22] 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 8-6

Coco Gauff[Q] d. Magdalena Rybarikova(SVK) 6-3, 6-3
Polona Hercog(SLO) d. Madison Keys[17] 6-2, 6-4
Danielle Collins d. Anastasija Sevastova(LAT)[12] 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Dayana Yastremska(UKR) d. Sonya Kenin[27] 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
Karolina Muchova(CZE) d Madison Brengle 6-3, 6-4

Thursday’s second round matches featuring Americans:
Serena Williams[11] v Kaja Juvan(SLO)[Q]
Lauren Davis[LL] v Angelique Kerber(GER)[5]
Sloane Stephens[9] v Yafan Wang(CHN)
Amanda Anisimova[25] v Magda Linette(POL)
Taylor Townsend v Kiki Bertens(NED)[4]
Alison Riske v Ivana Jorovic (SRB)

John Isner[9] v Mikhail Kukushkin(KAZ)
Steve Johnson v Alex De Minaur(AUS)[24]
Sam Querrey v Andrey Rublev(RUS)
Taylor Fritz v Jan-Lennard Struff(GER)[33]
Tennys Sandgren v Gilles Simon(FRA)[20]

At the ITF Grade 1 in Roehampton, No. 8 seed Alexa Noel and No. 5 seed Hurricane Tyra Black will meet in Thursday's semifinal after Noel defeated No. 4 seed Natsumi Kawaguchi of Japan 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 and Black beat unseeded Elsa Jacquemot of France 6-2, 6-2. Black and Noel have split two meetings, the most recent of which was the quarterfinals of the Easter Bowl ITF Grade B1 in 2018.

No. 4 seed Martin Damm, the only American boy left in the quarterfinals, lost to No. 11 seed Liam Draxl of Canada 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

While Roehampton is getting down to its last few matches, the Wimbledon Junior Championships qualifying begins Thursday at the same site, with five US boys and three US girls hoping to make the main draw at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

The American boys are Andrew Dale, Blaise Bicknell, Andres Martin[16], Dali Blanch[7] and Will Grant[11]. The American girls are Charlotte Owensby[12], Alexandra Yepifanova[14] and Katrina Scott[5].  In a big surprise for a junior slam, the girls qualifying draw did not fill, with three players getting byes into the final round of qualifying.

The last of the open Power 5 coaching positions was filled this week, with Katie Dougherty taking the women's head coaching position at Maryland. Formerly the head coach at Iowa, Dougherty has been on the staff at Maryland the past three years, last year as associate head coach. For more on her playing and coaching background, see this article from the Maryland website.

SMU announced today that Jeff Nevolo has been selected to lead the women's program. Nevolo had been the women's associate head coach at South Carolina since 2014; prior to that he had been an assistant at the men's programs at Alabama and Air Force.

Noel, Black, Damm Reach Roehampton Grade 1 Quarterfinals; Anghelescu is Penn State's New Coach; Pittsburgh Men's $15K Only Pro Circuit Event in US This Week

This will be an early and quick post, as I am heading to Europe this afternoon. After a couple of vacation days in Germany (will try to post, but don't be alarmed if I miss a day) I will begin my Wimbledon coverage on site Saturday, when the Junior Championships get underway.

The quarterfinals are set at the ITF Grade 1 in Roehampton, with three Americans still in the running for a singles title. Martin Damm[4] had a tough match with qualifier Stefan Storch of Australia before coming through with a 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-5 win. He will face No. 11 seed Liam Draxl of Canada, who beat Cannon Kingsley 6-4, 6-2. No. 8 seed Alexa Noel defeated No. 12 seed Sohyun Park of Korea 6-0, 3-6, 6-2 and will face No. 4 seed Natsumi Kawaguchi of Japan. They met in the semifinals of the Grade A in Brazil this winter, with Kawaguchi winning in straight sets.

No. 5 seed Hurricane Tyra Black and Katrina Scott played a classic, with the 15-year-old Scott, who had lost 6-1, 6-2 to Black last week in Nottingham, pushing Black to a third-set tiebreaker this time. Black won it, 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(2) to advance against unseeded Elsa Jacquemot of France, who beat Elli Mandlik 6-2, 6-2. Live scoring for the event is available at Tennis Tickerr.

Penn State announced its new women's head coach, with last year's assistant Alexandra Anghelescu taking over for Chris Cagle. Anghelescu, who played at Georgia and Georgia Tech, was a volunteer assistant at North Carolina during the 2017-18 season before taking the Penn State assistant's position. For more, see this article from the Penn State website.

There is only one ITF World Tennis Tour/USTA Pro Circuit event this week, a $15,000 event in Pittsburgh. As was the case last week in Rochester New York, Keenan Mayo and Ricardo Rodriguez of Venezuela are the top seeds.

These are the American results from Wimbledon Tuesday as of 12:30 pm Eastern time. If I can, I will update them later today. NOW COMPLETE:

Harriet Dart(GBR)[WC] d. Christina McHale[LL] 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Alison Riske d. Donna Vekic(CRO)[22] 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
Serena Williams[11] d. Giulia Gatto-Monticone(ITA)[Q] 6-2, 7-5
Lauren Davis[LL] d. Kateryna Kozlova(UKR) 6-3, 6-2
Taylor Townsend d. Arina Rodionova(AUS)[Q] 6-2, 6-3
Sloane Stephens[9] d. Timea Bacsinszky(SUI) 6-2, 6-4
Amanda Anisimova[25] d. Sorana Cirstea(ROU) 6-3, 6-3

Sam Querrey d. Dominic Thiem(AUT)[5] 6-7(4), 7-6(1), 6-3, 6-0
Tennys Sandgren d. Yasutaka Uchiyama(JPN)[Q] 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
Fabio Fognini(ITA)[12] d. Frances Tiafoe 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Steve Johnson d. Albert Ramos-Vinolas(ESP) 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
Taylor Fritz d. Tomas Berdych(CZE) 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
John Isner[9] d. Casper Ruud(NOR) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(9)
Jay Clarke(GBR)[WC] d. Noah Rubin[Q] 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4

Wednesday's second round matches featuring Americans:

Denis Kudla v. Novak Djokovic(SRB)[1]
Reilly Opelka v. Stan Wawrinka(SUI)[22]

Coco Gauff[Q] v. Magdalena Rybarikova(SVK)
Madison Keys[17] v. Polona Hercog(SLO)
Danielle Collins v. Anastasija Sevastova(LAT)[12]
Sonya Kenin[27] v. Dayana Yastremska(UKR)
Madison Brengle v. Karolina Muchova(CZE)

Gauff Beats Venus as Seven Americans Advance to Wimbledon Second Round on Day One; Seeds Nakashima and Nava Fail to Make Third Round at ITF Grade 1 in Roehampton

The reigning women's champion at the US Open and Australian Open lost in the first round today at Wimbledon, as did two of the popular picks for next 25-and-under man to win a major. But even with the exits of No. 2 seed Naomi Osaka, No. 6 seed Alexander Zverev and No. 7 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, the name everyone's lips today was 15-year-old qualifier Coco Gauff, who beat 39-year-old Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 on Court 1.  Williams did not play her best, but given her vast experience and her opponent's lack of it, it seemed likely that Gauff would begin to get tight as the finish line approached and Williams would find a way to take advantage.

Williams did manage to get back on serve after trailing 4-2 in the final set and had points to go up 5-4, but Gauff broke, and had a changeover to contemplate serving out the biggest match of her brief pro career. She went up 40-15, but Williams stepped up her game to save those two match points and Gauff wasn't able to convert her third either. Williams then had a break point, but Gauff saved it, and on her fourth match point, Gauff ended the drama, keeping her composure until Williams forehand found the net, when the tears began. Gauff is the youngest woman to win a slam match since Anna Kournikova at the 1996 US Open. For more on Gauff's win, see this article from the Wimbledon website.

American women went 5-7 in the first round, with both seeded players winning. Madison Brengle upset French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, the No. 16 seed, 6-4, 6-4. US men went 2-2, with 2015 Wimbledon boys champion Reilly Opelka getting his first career win in the men's main draw.

Monday's first round singles results for Americans:

Maria Sakkari(GRE)[31] d. Bernarda Pera 7-6(4), 6-3
Petra Martic(CRO)[24] d. Jennifer Brady 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Danielle Collins d. Zarina Diyas(KAZ) 6-3, 7-5
Anastasija Sevastova(LAT)[12] d. Kristie Ahn[Q] 6-3, 6-4
Madison Brengle d. Marketa Vondrousova(CZE)[16] 6-4, 6-4
Heather Watson(GBR) d. Caty McNally[Q] 7-6(3), 6-2
Anett Kontaveit(EST)[20] d. Shelby Rogers 6-0, 3-6, 6-4
Mihaela Buzarnescu(ROU) d. Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-4
Madison Keys[17] d. Luksika Kumkhum(THA) 6-3, 6-2
Coco Gauff[Q] d. Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4
Sonya Kenin[27] d Astra Sharma(AUS) 6-4, 6-2

Denis Kudla d. Malek Jaziri(TUN) 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
David Goffin(BEL)[21] d. Bradley Klahn 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Reilly Opelka d. Cedrik-Marcel Stebe(GER) 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-1
Feliciano Lopez(ESP)[WC] d. Marcos Giron[Q] 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

Fourteen Americans will play their first round matches Tuesday.

Christina McHale[LL] v Harriet Dart(GBR)[WC]

Alison Riske v Donna Vekic(CRO)[22]

Serena Williams[11] v Giulia Gatto-Monticone(ITA)[Q]

Lauren Davis[LL] v Kateryna Kozlova(UKR)

Taylor Townsend v Arina Rodionova(AUS)[Q]

Sloane Stephens[9] v Timea Bacsinszky(SUI)

Amanda Anisimova[25] v Sorana Cirstea(ROU)

Sam Querrey v Dominic Thiem(AUT)[5]

Tennys Sandgren v Yasutaka Uchiyama(JPN)[Q]

Frances Tiafoe v Fabio Fognini(ITA)[12]

Steve Johnson v Albert Ramos-Vinolas(ESP)

Taylor Fritz v Tomas Berdych(CZE)

John Isner[9] v Casper Ruud(NOR)

Noah Rubin[Q] v Jay Clarke(GBR)[WC]

At the ITF Grade 1 in Roehampton, only two American boys have advanced to the third round: No. 4 seed Martin Damm and unseeded Cannon Kingsley. Kingsley defeated No. 8 seed Bu Yunchaokete of China 6-3, 6-3 and Damm beat Leandro Reidi of Switzerland 6-2, 6-1. Defending champion and No. 6 seed Brandon Nakashima lost to Anton Matusevich of Great Britain 6-4, 6-4 and No. 7 seed Emilio Nava was beaten by Wojchiech Marek of Poland 6-7(10), 7-5, 6-2.  

Five US girls are through to the round of 16: Robin Montgomery, Alexa Noel[8], Hurricane Tyra Black[5], Katrina Scott and Elli Mandlik. Montgomery, the only one of the five Americans in the top half, beat Weronika Baszak of Poland 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Noel defeated Alexandra Vecic of Germany 6-1, 6-2; Black downed Guilia Morlet of France 6-2, 6-3; Scott beat Liubov Kostenko of Ukraine 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 and Mandlik beat Thasaporn Naklo of Thailand 6-2, 6-4. Black and Scott will meet for the second time in as many weeks tomorrow, with Black having beaten Scott 6-1, 6-2 in the Nottingham Grade 1 semifinals. Black has a 3-0 record against the 15-year-old.