You may not know it, but there was a theory held by some even before Wimbledon 2025 got underway that Coco Gauff was not among the absolute frontrunners to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish this Fortnight.

No matter that she is the world No.2, they said, nor that she has just bagged her second Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros to crown a fabulous clay court season. Their point was that The Championships are her least successful Slam, and with reason - namely that the grass does not play to her strengths and can expose any question marks over her forehand and serve.

All the same, not many of the soothsayers had Dayana Yastremska down as the player to find her out in the very first round here. Yet that was exactly what unfolded, as the world No.42’s signature all-out aggression paid dividends time and again.

To the audible shock of the No.1 Court crowd, Gauff was blown away. Yastremska took it 7-6(3), 6-1 to leave the American’s Wimbledon ambitions in shreds.

“I was really on fire,” said the Ukrainian happily. “Playing against Coco is something special. She’s a great player, a great person, and we have a very good relationship. This court is made for the greatest players and I’m very grateful to be on it.”

Indeed. It was the scene of Gauff’s most famous SW19 achievement – her magnificent first round victory as a 15-year-old over five-time champion Venus Williams six years ago. Back then she forged on into the fourth round – exactly as Yastremska did that year, and for both of them the last 16 remains their deepest progression here to date. Gauff has equalled it twice, but never surpassed it.

The two of them had met three times before this first round joust, with Gauff the victor on every occasion – but all those were on her beloved clay.

It seems telling now that her 2025 grass court season did not begin at Wimbledon, but with a first round misfire in Berlin against Xinyi Wang. By contrast Yastremska came into this one with the grass court confidence instilled by a run to the Nottingham final.

She carried that authority into this match, forcing Gauff into errors before stepping up the attack with a string of backhand winners to break for 4-2.

Yet at this stage of the first set, it was Gauff who had racked up nine errors to precisely zero winners. She could only watch as Yastremska’s forehand zingers scudded past her. All the same, at 5-3 the Ukrainian abruptly stuttered, with double fault on set point and then again on break point.

But in the tie-break it was Gauff’s turn to deliver consecutive double faults. It refuelled Yastremska’s confidence, and she kissed a winning volley to secure the set. 

Obviously Gauff’s intent was to declare herself in charge from then on. But instead her opponent simply romped away with it, as the American’s serve became more uncertain.

“I love playing on grass,” smiled Yastremska. “I feel that this year we are friends, and I hope the road will continue for me here.”

Gauff reflected on the loss with intelligence and typical equanimity. “I couldn’t find my footing out there,” she said. “Dayana played great.

“Mentally, I was a bit overwhelmed with everything that came after Roland-Garros. I don’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back in it.

“I could have used more matches on grass. If it comes around again, I’ll do it differently. I definitely need to make changes if I want to be successful here.

“After the match, I definitely was struggling in the locker room. I don't like losing. I just feel a little bit disappointed in how I showed up today. This definitely sucks.”