Wimbledon Day 1 Surprises: Gauff dismisses Venus

By Nina PanticPublished July 01, 2019

Each day of Wimbledon, Baseline will sum up the action with a photo gallery of the top surprises.

Gauff Stuns Her Idol

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 01: Cori Gauff of the United States celebrates a point in her Ladies' Singles first round match against Venus Williams of The United States during Day one of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 01, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) — © 2019 Getty Images

Qualifier Cori "CoCo" Gauff drew her idol Venus Williams in the first round of her Wimbledon debut, and was thrilled. Undeterred by the grand occasion, the 15-year-old wild card stunned the seven-time Grand Slam champion, 6-4, 6-4.

"This was definitely the first time I ever cried after a match—after winning, obviously," Gauff said. "I don't even know how to explain how I feel... I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."

At 39, Williams is 24 years older than Gauff, the biggest age gap in a WTA match since 2004.

Osaka Bows Out

Japan's Naomi Osaka looks downwards as she leaves the pitch after being defeated by Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva during their women's singles first round match on the first day of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 1, 2019. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images) — © AFP/Getty Images

Going into the first-round encounter, Yulia Putintseva had a 2-0 record over world No. 2 Naomi Osaka, yet it was still a shock to see the Australian and US Open champion knocked out so early. Putintseva did well to win the first-set tiebreak and run away with the match, 7-6 (4), 6-2. The 21-year-old struggled throughout the match and in press, leaving early because she felt tears coming on.

Auger-Aliassime's Milestone

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 01: Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada embraces Vasek Pospisil of Canada at the net after his Men's Singles first round match against Vasek Pospisil of Canada during Day one of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 01, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) — © Getty Images

It's not surprising that Felix Auger-Aliassime beat fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil, who's playing his first tournament after back surgery. It is surprising that it's the 18-year-old's first-ever Grand Slam win. He's ranked No. 21, meaning he is seeded at the major, and has a 27-14 record in 2019.

Tsitsipas Tumbles

Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas goes down as he returns against Italy's Thomas Fabbiano during their men's singles first round match on the first day of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 1, 2019. (Photo by Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images) — © AFP/Getty Images

The No. 7 seed figuratively and literally tumbled out in the first round to Thomas Fabbiano in a 6-3 fifth set. Tstisipas has done nothing but rise during his young career, and was defending a fourth-round finish. Still, he's safely inside the Top 10 and has the hard-court season to look forward to, where he first started cranking out impressive results in 2017.

Brengle Bounces Vondrousova

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 01: Madison Brengle of The United States prepares to play a backhand in her Ladies' Singles first round match against Marketa Vondrousova of The Czech Republic during Day one of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 01, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) — © Getty Images

Fourteen Americans took the court on Monday, and the six that managed to win did so in dominating style. Madison Brengle may have scored the most impressive victory by taking out French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova, 6-4, 6-4. Danielle Collins, Madison Keys, Sofia Kenin, Denis Kudla and Reilly Opelka all also won in straight sets.

Follow Nina on Twitter @ninapantic1.